


Let Me Love You

by Nizza



Category: NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Alpha Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun, Alpha!Jaehyun, Alpha!Lucas, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Blow Jobs, Cock Warming, Hand Jobs, Knotting, M/M, Omega Lee Taeyong, Omega!Taeyong, Oral Sex, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, red velvet is here too, taeyong and sicheng are besties, the amount of tags referring to sex is so...guys there is no sex every chapter ok like its not pwp, whole wayv squad is going to be here because there aren't enough fics about them!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:34:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 186,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23931625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nizza/pseuds/Nizza
Summary: "My new manager is hot," Taeyong says first thing as he enters his shared apartment with Sicheng. "He is tall, wide-shouldered and he looks like editorial slapped him on the face.""Okay?" Sicheng doesn’t even turn around, way too focused on his task of cutting onions and not crying his eyes out.Taeyong sighs, gathering the courage to drop the bomb. "He also is my mate. As in... destined mate."or a corporate AU, in which Taeyong has to hide the fact that he’s omega, Jaehyun is an alpha with no sense of smell, Sicheng tries to jiggle uni life with working part-time as barista and Lucas just really wants to get the name of a cute guy who works in Starbucks.
Relationships: Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong
Comments: 439
Kudos: 1105





	1. this can really work... in theory

**Past**

Taeyong never was the one to hide himself or be ashamed of who he was. Even when at the tender age of five he learned that omegas were seemed somewhat bad and most of the kids didn’t want to end up being one when they presented, he simply thought that whoever he ends being (alpha, omega or beta) will be okay, because he will still be Taeyong, right? He will still be himself. (later on that day, when he shared all of his thoughts with his mother, she teared up and kissed him on the forehead, saying that he was the smartest boy ever.)

When he turned sixteen and woke up to a horrible nausea and alarmingly high temperature, Taeyong immediately knew who he was even before first symptoms of heat kicked in full force. He didn’t cry in disgust like his neighbor Minho did nor did he happily told everyone in his class that he’s an omega like Jisung did. Taeyong simply accepted this fact as a given and tried to pay more attention in biology class, learning everything he could about omegas. He didn’t hate it, didn’t love it - Taeyong was completely okay with it and, to his immense relief, so were his parents. His mother diligently bought him heat suppressants, his father never bat an eye nor did he say something about his heats and overall nothing changed in his family for which he was grateful. However, change came from a rather unexpected place.

Taeyong learned that omegas were seen as ‘weak’, as they had no other use than to be bred and as he got older, the insults just turned harsher with words like ‘slut’ and ‘just a hole to fill’ being used and heard more and more. He dreaded his PA classes, because this is where most of the omegas would get verbally attacked by alphas who thought they were being awfully funny. Taeyong, with pink hair at that time, became a main target for most of the jokes and slurs, but thankfully he had Doyoung. Kim Doyoung, like any other alpha, was tall, had an aggressively confident aura around him and snarked and shouted at anyone who tried to somehow belittle Taeyong. (''I can tell them to fuck off myself,'' Taeyong would say, feeling both angry that Doyoung again had to step up for him and grateful for presence of another boy. ''I know you can, but I’m here, right? I can protect you.'' Doyoung would reply, smiling and ruffling his hair.) And Taeyong believed him. Believed that alpha and omega can indeed stay best friends. He pictured both of them going to uni together, staying up all night because of assignments and having each other’s back no matter what. Taeyong was naive like that.

He was twenty, when Doyoung forced himself on him during the heat. All of the taekwondo lessons did not go to waste as young omega drop kicked alpha, using all of his force. He ran away, hid in the cafeteria, where fellow classmate Kun - mated alpha - worked and stayed there till the sun went down. Heart bleeding with betrayal, Taeyong did not return to his room that night; he wasn’t in a right state to meet Doyoung, he didn’t think he can handle himself and not kill the other after hearing his lame excuse of ''but I smelled you for the first time and just couldn’t help myself''. Taeyong used strong suppressants since sixteen, the ones that blocked scent completely, because his parents - both gentle betas - were scared of what might happen in high school. After four years he had to switch mild ones or else his body will not be able to take the damage that suppressants unavoidably cause. Taeyong knew his scent and always found it amusing how fate worked; the thing is, only your destined mate can fully feel your scent - others only get a ‘light’ version. Taeyong’s scent was pink lemonade, but to majority of people he smelled like overriped strawberries, rather sour. Because pills were not as strong, everyone could get at least a light whiff of his scent, but during his heat scent got stronger, sweeter and Doyoung was right there, launching on him in a mere seconds. (''It hurts, Kun,'' Taeyong cried that night. Kun held him tight through his breakdown, as his younger friend mourned loss of the friendship. ''It’ll be fine,'' Kun whispered, stroking his back. ''You’ll be fine, Taeyong.'')

Taeyong was twenty two when he learned that world views omegas differently. He learned that omegas could not take high positions in the companies, they didn’t have many rights that betas and alphas had and suddenly he understood that Minho guy, who cried when he presented as an omega. That was a major downside, especially considering the fact that he wanted to become a CFO of a big company. For the good side, Taeyong also learned that he can bat his eyelashes and some alphas will trip over their own feet running to him. He learned that spending his heats with an alpha was a much better solution than staying alone, locked in the room with some toys. He learned that yes, he was pretty. Taeyong also learned to open up to other alphas after Doyoung; he became close friends with Johnny and Yuta, both alphas from his faculty. Taeyong learned to let some people go, let some people in, to not carry his heart on his sleeve and to work very, very hard. (''Getting a ‘B’ for once in your life won’t kill you, Tae!'' Johnny would say, watching his friend pull up another all-nighter due to upcoming midterms. ''Yeah, but getting a ‘B’ will lessen up my chances on a perfect GPA, which in turn will lessen my chances in getting into a good firm.'') He partied occasionally, studied religiously and graduated at the top of his class, crying along with his parents at the sight of a red diploma in his hands.

Taeyong met Sicheng shortly after graduation ceremony. He applied for few internships and was waiting for an answer, looking for an apartment now that he was out of the uni’s dormitory. Sicheng finished his second year of university back then and was in need of a roommate, because his previous one transferred to another city. He worked as a part-time barista in Starbucks and put up a notification on the board, being surprised when Taeyong found him on the next day. Call it an intuition or simply a gut feeling, but Lee Taeyong knew that he and Sicheng would be good for each other as soon as tall beta introduced himself and showed the apartment. It was a simple flat, rather small, but with two separate rooms, one bathroom, and small living room with even smaller kitchen. The flat was clean and smelled of Sicheng - like forest after the rain, all clean and grassy. Taeyong liked the boy immediately, even though Sicheng looked rather distant and emotionless. One might find him cold, but to Taeyong younger beta radiated of calm and composure. (''I’ll take it,'' Taeyong said and turned just in time to see surprise flicker in Sicheng’s eyes before he quickly masked it. ''That’s rather quick, don’t you want to think?'' Beta asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. ''I will have a separate room for myself and I’m hoping to work for a company nearby. It’s perfect.'' Sicheng studied him for few minutes and then slowly nodded, allowing small smile to grace his features.) They found a way around each other very quick: Sicheng had mostly morning classes and they woke up together at eight in the morning, quickly changing and running to their own directions. Just like he predicted, Taeyong got an internship he wanted and came home every day around eight. At that time Sicheng would also be at home from his part-time job, either studying or preparing dinner for both of them. It took almost four months for Sicheng to warm up to his new roommate; Taeyong patiently waited, not wanting to push. Just like he thought, when younger beta opened up to him they became good friends, growing closer each month. A whole year flew by quickly with their quiet dinners, cozy movie nights, rare parties and shared secrets. Sicheng finished his third year of university, Taeyong completed his internship and was one of the few chosen ones who actually survived till the end. All in all, looking around their flat now filled with Johnny and Yuta loudly arguing about the movie on the sofa, Hendery and Xiaojun - Sicheng’s friends - helping cook dinner in the kitchen, Taeyong thought that his 23 year of life passed with happy colors. (''To Taeyong’s new job that I’m sure he’ll get, Sicheng’s new year and mine and Yuta’s luck in startup business!'' Johnny declared, lifting his beer high in the air and smiling so wide, it was infectious. Hendery cheered, Xiaojun shyly raised his beer also, Yuta jumped on Sicheng’s back and Taeyong raised his beer too, laughing. ''To new beginnings!'')

**Two weeks ago**

Taeyong stared at the document, unblinking. His heart was beating so fast and loud, he wouldn’t be surprised if few guys at the end of the corridor heard it. «Due to the politics of the company we do not allow omegas to enter positions of 10 level and higher. Lee Taeyong, we are very sorry to announce that therefore, we cannot accept your application for position of a payroll account - which is a position of 12 level - in our company. We thank you for the shown interest and your hard work and hope that internship in T&C ended up being an incredibly useful experience for you. We wish you best of luck in your journey!». Taeyong swallowed. He had no problems with rejections and definitely could take harsh criticism, but this is not about him not being qualified for the job. This is not about him failing his internship. This is about him being an omega, something that he can’t and won’t change. This is about world’s prejudice of who he was and Taeyong hated how tears stung in the corner of his eyes, threatening to spill over. He hated how angry he felt, how he couldn’t direct this anger at anyone, how he couldn’t just solve this issue with being more hard-working or getting better at something. This is not something he could possibly improve or fix.

''I feel so… helpless,'' he mumbled, sitting in front of Sicheng in Starbucks. He sounded pitiful even to his own ears and that made omega cringe. ''And angry. I feel very, very angry. But it’s useless.''

Taeyong brushed his hand through his hair that was light brown color now. It was blue before and he wanted to go for something less crazy and eye-catching this time, knowing that, unfortunately, even color of his hair can somehow result in him getting the job or not. His fingers clutched around hot cup of his favorite caramel macchiato, the one he orders only when he’s feeling sad. Sicheng in front of him sits with a stoic expression, as usual. To an outsider it would appear that Sicheng’s totally unaffected by the mood of his friend, but it wasn’t like that at all. Taeyong, who was one of Sicheng’s closest friends, could see worry in beta’s eyes, could recognize his nervousness from the way he was picking at the table’s corner with his nails. Sicheng’s scent was growing stronger as he tried to calm his friend, sending waves of tranquility, but Taeyong only shook his head; he knew how Sicheng hated having to intensify his scent.

''It’s not useless,'' beta spoke in his soft tone. ''Your anger, I mean. You can direct it to another place and succeed.''

''What other places want an omega?'' Taeyong huffed. ''I did not work my ass off in the university and in that internship so I could get into a mediocre company. I need to get into the best ones. I deserve this. You _know_ I do.''

''You do.'' Sicheng easily agreed, nodding. ''But those best companies, whichever ones you’re talking about, all have omega policies. Even if you get there on a lower position, they just won’t let you make a career.''

Taeyong hated how right Sicheng was. Annoyed, he wanted to shout and crash everything into pieces, but he settled for gripping his cup tight, hissing as hot liquid splashed on his hand.

''I hate this,'' Taeyong whispered, voice cracking in the end. ''I _hate_ this, Sicheng. I hate how this world makes me hate what I am, when I don’t want to hate it.''

Sicheng said nothing. He didn’t say ‘I know’ and that’s what omega loved about his friend. Taeyong liked how Winwin (a cute nickname that was given to the guy by his friends) never pretended to understand the struggles of omega; he just listened carefully and made sure to not display any of the prejudiced behavior. He never said: ''I know how you feel'' or ''I understand how hard that must be'' because he didn’t and he couldn’t. Instead, Sicheng slowly reached out and took Taeyong’s hands in his, giving them gentle squeeze. Beta was never a social butterfly and often struggled to find the right words, but he let his actions spoke for him. With how gently Sicheng was holding his hands Taeyong felt like crying. His heart was aching for something he couldn’t even describe and it felt like hope was slipping through his fingers like a sand.

''Then don’t hate it,'' Sicheng said, rubbing circles with his thumbs on omega’s hand. ''You’ll find a way out, just like you always do. Maybe there will be company who doesn’t have this stupid policies. Or maybe you won’t have to go to those companies, maybe something even better awaits for you right at the corner.''

''In moments like this I really want to be a beta,'' Taeyong muttered.

Sicheng didn’t even blink; he heard that phrase too many times to somehow react. In his eyes being beta was the best position. He didn’t have heats or ruts, didn’t get affected by someone’s scent to the point of losing control of his actions and, most importantly, he didn’t let someone’s scent decide where them destined for him or not. Sicheng liked being in complete control of his life and didn’t mind the fact that betas did seem to fade into the background most of the times - for him, the less attention was only the better. He looked at his friend, feeling sadness washing over at the sight. Taeyong’s usual bright smile now was replaced with a frown, his overall cheerful demeanor was nowhere to be seen and Sicheng hated to see his friend in this state, especially when he couldn’t even help. Tall beta quickly checked the time - he still had twenty minutes before he had to go back to his shift as barista. At this hour Starbucks was pretty empty, so he actually could use his scent in order to calm Taeyong down. Although he _did_ hate having to use his scent in any ways, but he could do that when needed. Taking a deep breath, Sicheng concentrated on his scent, steadily making it grow stronger; it wasn’t easy for him as it’d be for an omega or alpha, for who the feat of changing and directing their scents came naturally. Taeyong appeared shocked for a moment and then smiled, his shoulders and back slowly relaxing.

''I love your scent,'' omega whispered with closed eyes, not seeing how light blush appeared on Sicheng’s cheeks. ''Thanks, Sichengie.''

They sat in silence for a while, with Taeyong basking in calmness that surrounded him because of Sicheng’s scent and beta just thinking if he can help his friend or not. Sicheng’s head was buzzing with ideas and only one seemed to stand out-

''If they think you’re beta, would they have taken you?'' He asked, not looking up.

''Mhm? Yeah, manager said I did really good on all of the tests.'' Taeyong slowly opened his eyes, sighing. ''But not like it matters now.''

''They don’t share information with another companies, right?'' Sicheng asked suddenly and leaned in. ''They won’t disclose information about their interns.''

''And?''

''So no one knows you’re an omega except people from that T&C?''

''Yeah, and so wha-'' Taeyong’s eyes widened as he finally caught up with his friend’s idea. '' _Oh my fucking god_.''

''There are a lot of suppressants out there. We can find the ones that won’t be too harmful for your body and still would do a good job of covering your scent. Those guys from T&C knew you’re an omega because you told them, right?'' Taeyong nodded and Sicheng hummed. ''Just say you’re a beta. Not like someone actually does a check on this.''

''And I can just go on a sick leave when my heat comes up,'' Taeyong said, getting more and more excited. ''My heats don’t last long anyways, just four days, but I can go even on the fourth day if I take a strong suppressant.'' Sicheng frowned on this, but Taeyong didn’t even notice being way too pumped with the idea. ''I’ll change omega for beta in my cv. We don’t have anything written in our id… god, Sicheng, this can really work!''

''In theory.'' Sicheng could see that glint in Taeyong’s eyes, signaling that his friend was very passionate about this idea and he already regretted voicing his thoughts. ''Taeyong, I really think we should talk it out with other guys, at least with Johnny and Kun, I think-''

''It’s brilliant, Sicheng!'' Taeyong jumped from the chair and hugged surprised beta. ''Oh, your shift’s about to start, so I’ll go, but thank you! It’s really brilliant!''

''Taeyong, wait, Taeyong!'' but it was too late - omega was already near the exit, not hearing his friend.

Sicheng sighed, dropping back on his seat. Lee Taeyong in this state is an unstoppable force and no one will be able to get in the way. Sicheng could only hope that he didn’t bring more damage than good with this idea; he can practically hear Kun’s outraged ''you said _what?_!'' in his mind.

''Dong Sicheng, get behind that counter now!'' His boss shouted and beta scowled but quickly turned his face into its usual stoic mask of impassiveness. He can worry about his friend later, but for now he had to get back to his work.


	2. don't put yourself in a cage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sicheng's past and his present.

**Past**

_‘Dong Sicheng, stop acting all cute, you’re not an omega!’_

_‘Sicheng, you’re not an alpha to talk with your father like that!’_

_‘Betas blend into the background and that is our power. We are level-headed, we don’t have any excuses for our behavior unlike omegas and alphas with their heats and ruts. You can’t get away with something just by being pretty like an omega or being strong and influential like an alpha. You have to be smarter. You’re beta, so please, behave yourself like one.’_

At seventeen Sicheng learned to know his place very well; he wasn’t somewhere in the back of the hierarchy like omegas were nor was he at the top like alphas. ‘ _You’re a plain beta and have nothing to whine about_ ,’ his parents said and he listened and learned.

Sicheng was a lively and bright as a kid, always acting cute in front of elders and running around with his peers like any other boy of his age did. He liked to be babied and doted on, liked when his mother read him fairy tales at night and liked getting sour candies from his father. Most of all, Sicheng liked to draw. What started off as some doodles on the paper later on turned into full blown stories of multiple characters scattered along the white canvas. Everyone praised him and Sicheng would squeal in happiness, feeling giddy all over, when someone pointed on his drawing and complimented it. His parents supported his hobby at first, driving him to local art club, but their support became almost non-existent when drawing started to take most of their son’s time. Sicheng wasn’t a bad student and never was on top of the class, his grades were just enough for him to smoothly transfer from one year to another and his overall quiet personality did not cause problems with any of the teachers. Problems started in the high school, when instead of focusing on the exams and thinking about universities, Sicheng was drawing outside, not caring about anything else. One day his father took away his pencils, markers and special pens, saying that if he won’t do good on the exams then he can forget about drawing at all. Sicheng spent whole night crying. _‘Don’t be so emotional,’_ his parents said and he listened and learned.

Sicheng grew up learning some basic things from the early childhood in a very conservative and traditional family. Things like you should always respect elders, don’t talk back to your parents, don’t start fights with other boys. Things like omegas can be only with alphas and betas can be only with betas and everything that did not fit in this form was an abnormality. Abnormality was something to be ashamed of, Sicheng learned. _‘Don’t stand out,’_ his parents said and he listened and learned.

When Sicheng turned sixteen and presented as a beta, his parents sat down with him in the kitchen for a ‘serious’ talk. ‘You’re a beta now and you should act like one. Stop all of that ‘cute’ nonsense, you’re not omega. You should be proud to be a beta, it’s the most wonderful thing. And stop talking back, you’re not alpha so that behavior would look normal! And god, Sicheng, stop hanging out with those friends of yours, what are their names? Jaemin and Jeno? How can two omegas date each other? It’s disgusting!’ and his father added: _‘Sicheng, you’re our only son and we want the best for you. We love you so much, we give you everything, we do everything for you. Don’t you think that you shouldn’t disappoint us? That you should listen to us? Don’t be friends with those weird guys, they are not normal!_ ’ his parents said and he listened and learned.

Sicheng closed up. He stopped making cute faces and act like a baby to his friends. He hated how his appearance would scream of ‘cute’, when he didn’t want to be; only omegas were allowed to be cute. He stopped standing up for himself and instead would just walk out of any argument, molding himself into a perfect beta - quiet, rational. Being an introvert by nature, Sicheng did not have many friends at the start, as opening up to him was rather difficult. When he stopped hanging out with Jaemin and Jeno, he was left all alone in the last year of high school. (‘Your parents called us what?’ Jaemin stared at him with wide eyes, not believing what he had just heard. ‘Sicheng, you… you don’t think that way, right? It’s just your parents, but it’s not you, right?’ Jeno asked, voice laced with so much hope that Sicheng’s heart ached with pain. He wanted to say that he doesn’t think so. He wanted to say that he loves his friends, that they mean the world to him. But his father’s words were ringing in his head, his parents gave him so much how can he disappoint them and keep on hanging out with ‘wrong’ people? He has to be a dutiful son. So Sicheng turned around and walked away, silently crying when Jaemin called out his name and Jeno shouted at him to come back.)

Sicheng was eighteen, when he decided that he has to pursue drawing in all seriousness. He applied to the best universities on their art faculties and got in, keeping everything a secret from his family. He knew that his parents loved him, but he also knew that they won’t support his decision and Sicheng decided to go against them for once in his life. Drawing was his emotional outlet, the only time when he felt at total peace with himself and the world around him and he wasn’t ready to give up on the only source of happiness in his life for a more ‘prestigious’ calling. Still, he applied for faculties like ‘internal design’ or ‘art design’, understanding that he does need something more practical. When he got accepted on scholarship int he faculty of contemporary architecture with speciality in urban and interior design, he simply put the letter in front of his parents and told them in a monotone voice that he’ll move out to the dorms and won’t need financing from them. His beta parents reacted exactly as model beta parents should: they calmly accepted and refused to talk about it at all, like nothing happened. They helped him pack and dropped him off on his first day. _'Be a good and diligent student. Focus on your studies first’_ his parents said and Sicheng listened and learned.

Xiaojun and Hendery appeared in his life at the time he needed them the most. First year of uni is hard on everyone: new professors, new subjects, new rules, new models of studying - it was too overwhelming to go through at once. He didn’t manage to get close to anyone from his group and felt much like an outsider. Xiaojun, a gentle and soft-spoken omega, bumped into him in the library, asking if he can watch over his laptop while he goes for a coffee. Sicheng nodded and when Xiaojun came back with two cups of coffee - one being for Sicheng - they started talking. Hendery, a boisterous beta and a close friend of Xiaojun, somehow plastered himself to Sicheng too, calling him ‘Winwin’ and cooing at everything he did. Pretty soon they became close, or as close as Sicheng let them be. (‘Let us in, Winwinnie,’ Xiaojun whispered, when all of them were laying on the grass next to the library. ‘Me and Hendery, we really like you. We think we can become really close friends, best friends…only if you want to, of course.’ Sicheng opened his eyes and stared at a light blue sky. Xiaojun was a picture perfect omega. Hendery was way too loud and outspoken for beta, but… it can’t hurt, right? Sicheng nodded and groaned in pain, when both Xiao and Hendery happily jumped on him.) They put him out of depression that he was sinking in, they helped him to open up and they accepted him as he was. All in all, Sicheng never regretted saying ‘yes’ to them that day.

University was hard. Sicheng didn’t enjoy drawing something specific, didn’t like learning structure of buildings, didn’t like having to cram in order to send his work not past deadline. He wasn’t a fan of food in cafeteria, always packed hallways and all the rave about parties. But everything wasn’t so bad; he loved attending dance club with Hendery, going to Xiao’s vocal practices and visiting his grandparents on rare occasions. His conservative outlook on life was changing as he was exposed to many individuals with different views: he saw gentle alphas who were afraid to raise their voices, met fighters for omega rights, was introduced to couples were one partner was an alpha and another one was alpha too. His world was flipped upside down and it took many months of adjusting for Sicheng to be think differently. His wall was crushed with every encounter with ‘untypical’ person and he learned how to build a new one, brick by brick. While he never judged anyone on anything simply because he couldn’t be bothered to do so, Sicheng definitely felt weirded out at seeing two alphas kiss or omega drop kicking someone. (‘You can’t just erase everything what’s been put into your head in one night,’ Xiaojun said, caressing his back. ‘You’re trying to see a different way, you’re trying to understand that there is no such thing as ‘normal’ or a certain way of behavior that everyone needs to follow. That’s the most important thing.’ Hendery nodded and wrapped his long arms around Sicheng, hugging him from behind. ‘We are very proud of you, Winwinnie.’)

And then came in Ten. Shameless, teasing, absolute genius Ten, who was one year above in his faculty and who held an interview for his part-time job as a barista. Ten, who he flirted with Sicheng using every single pick-up line, doing every single corny thing from the movies that one can only think of, making Sicheng feel like ground was sweeping off his feet. He felt vulnerable, feeling something for someone he shouldn’t and didn’t know how to react. (‘What are you even doing? I’m a beta and you’re an alpha!’ Sicheng hissed, not being able to take it anymore. He was learning how make cappuccino and Ten was interrupting him all the time. 'So? I don’t care who you are, I like you. You’re really cute!’ He tried to pinch Sincheng’s cheeks only to get a scowl in response. ‘I’m not cute. Betas can’t be cute.' Sicheng muttered in a low voice, but Ten heard it perfectly well. There was a beat of a tense silence and Sicheng burned under Ten’s hard and calculating gaze. ‘I hope you’ll get to see world differently,’ suddenly alpha said in much gentler tone, making Sicheng freeze. ‘I hope… I hope you don’t put yourself in a cage.’ Ten walked away and never bothered Sicheng after that.)

Sicheng didn’t judge anyone. He was open to omegas dating omegas or honestly anyone dating anyone as long as it was consensual. He didn’t think any less of any gender, but all of it did not apply to himself. While he did let go of stigma for others, he still held it for himself, unconsciously. Xiao and Hendery knew that and without pressuring tried to gently make him let go of those standards, making moves that were unseen to oblivious beta. (‘C’mon, smile!’’ Hendery whined, trying to take a selfie with his friends. ‘Sicheng, I swear to god, if you don’t smile I will hurt you. C’mon, be cute!’ Sicheng huffed and Xiao laughed loudly, hugging his tall beta friend. Lately Sicheng was getting better with shows of affection and didn’t mind or argue when his friends hugged or kissed him, so Xiaojun planted a small kiss on Sicheng’s cheek, whispering: ‘Our Sichengie doesn’t have to do anything to be cute, he just naturally is!’ Sicheng groaned, covering his face with hands so they won’t see him blushing. Hendery and Xiao exchanged glances full of affection and both stepped closer, circling beta in their hands. ‘I’m not cute,’’ Sicheng muttered. ‘Yes, you are. You are the cutest, Winwinnie.’)

Sicheng moved from the dorms to a small flat at the beginning of a second year. He was rooming with a younger alpha, Yangyang, who became like an annoying little brother, who always needed cuddles, food and someone to tease. Sicheng with his calm and somewhat cold demeanor intrigued Yangyang to no end, he always tried to get a reaction out of him and most of the times ended up being disappointed, because of Sicheng’s poker face. (‘You’re not fun,’’ Yangyang pouted. ‘I’m a beta, afterall,’ Sicheng replied, shrugging. ‘So what?’ Yangyang frowned, confused. ‘You being beta means you can’t be funny? It’s like thinking that I can’t be emotional if I’m an alpha. Its’ bullshit.’ Sicheng didn’t reply and Yangyang didn’t notice how his roommate froze in the middle of the kitchen in a deep thought. On the next day younger alpha woke up to have his stuff switched - a prank from Sicheng. ‘Oh my god, you have it in you! I knew it!’ Yangyang screamed, laughing. ‘Why have you been hiding your true self for so long?!’ Sicheng just smiled.) Yangyang moved away at the end of the second year and Sicheng refused to admit that he was actually sad about it. Maybe he did cry on the last night, hugging younger boy tight and wishing him well, but no one but him and Yangyang need to know about that.

And then Taeyong came. Beautiful, charming, friendly Taeyong, who respected Sicheng’s need for personal space, followed all of the rules in their flat and never made Sicheng angry. Taeyong was the first person who was introduced to Xiao and Hendery, first person who Sicheng let close after them, first person who became something akin to a mother figure in his life. Taeyong didn’t pry, didn’t question - he listened, gave advice and shared his opinions in utmost respect. Taeyong is the only who was allowed to somehow babied Sicheng, looking after him in non-clingy ways, always making sure that beta was alright. Taeyong was also the one, who noticed Sicheng’s scent after Xiao and Hendery.

‘Your scent is rather strong for a beta,' he once said during their movie night in.

Sicheng froze, alarms going off in his head. It was true - Sicheng’s scent was way stronger than any betas and he didn’t know why. All he knew that it was not okay, not ‘normal’, so he learned how to control it and let it slip only in front of Xiao and Hendery, because they were close to him. Taeyong noticed the rigidness and immediately stopped the movie, turning slightly to Sicheng. His beta friend was cuddled to his right side, his head cushioned on Taeyong’s chest and Taeyong gently moved them, so they would face one another.

‘It’s not a bad thing, I’m just stating a fact here,’ he whispered and Sicheng nodded, biting his lower lip.

He didn’t say anything until Taeyong took his hands in his. ‘I’m sorry,’ Sicheng let out and when Taeyong looked surprised he elaborated: ‘I’m sorry for not controlling it. I know this scent is more suitable for an alpha and I shouldn’t be like that. I tried to controlled it-‘ he was cut off by Taeyong standing up, looking both worried and angry.

‘What are you apologizing for, Sichengie? There’s nothing wrong, please- please, don’t do that. You don’t have to control your scent around me or anyone else, it’s no one’s business! I love your scent, Winwinnie. You smell like forest, like grass and trees and it’s very comforting for me. Don’t worry about it with me, okay? Just be yourself’. (And Sicheng didn’t worry after that. He didn’t control his scent around Taeyong anymore, although he continued doing so in front of other people. He also replayed over and over what Taeyong said about just being himself and he thought that maybe he can. Maybe he can let go.)

**Present**

‘This looks really good!’ Xiaojun praised, looking over Sicheng’s shoulder.

Sicheng frowned, turning a bit and hiding his drawing from a friend. He didn’t like when someone looked at his drafts, unfinished pieces - he never learned to shake off the thought that everyone’s judging him and his capabilities. Even without turning around he knew that Xiaojun was pouting right now, looking adorable. Sicheng mentally hit himself; betas are not ‘adorable’, only omegas can be like that. But he can call Xiaojun that at least in his head, right?

‘I wrote exactly four lines and I’m absolutely done for!’ Hendery exclaimed loudly, immediately gaining few stern gazes and ‘be quiet, you’re in the library!’ from a girl next to them.

‘Haven’t you been working on this for two days now?’

‘That’s kind of the point, two days and only four lines, I’m going to be kicked out of here,’ Hendery said and sighed, putting his notebook away. Much like Xiaojun, he also leaned into Sicheng’s personal space, wanting to take a look at the drawing. ‘Oh wow, Winwinnie, it’s so pretty!’

Sicheng bit his lower lip in order to prevent himself from smiling wide. He wasn’t sure if he blushed or not, but judging by two of his friends cooing at him, he’d bet his cheeks were rosy right now. Quickly schooling his face into an annoyed expression, he turned, ready to glare only to be met with two adorable puppies, looking up at him with literally shining eyes. Only years of training of keeping poker face in any situation helped him not to smile widely. If they were all alone he would have shown more emotion, but being in the library made him close up. Sicheng’s heart squeezed in his chest with something close to happiness; it’s been two years and he still somehow couldn’t believe that he had people around him who loved him and thought he’s great.

‘Can we go to yours tonight?’ Hendery asked. ‘I’ll finish these stupid lyrics, Xiao will just chill with us and you’ll finish your… what’s the theme this time? A cabin in the woods?’

‘Taeyong is a bit stressed these days, I don’t think us being there will help him,’ Sicheng answered and closed his sketchpad, avoiding all talks about his drawings as he usually did. ‘But we can meet up after dance class. Are you going to walk me to Starbucks? My shift starts in thirty minutes.’

‘How’s Taeyong and his idea, by the way?’ Xiaojun asked, when all of them started picking up their stuff, readying to leave. ‘Did it work? How others reacted?’

‘Kun and Johnny said it was dumb and dangerous, Yuta said that it’s worth a try.’ Sicheng held up the door, letting Xiao pass first, making omega smile. ‘I feel like it’s not bad, but I don’t know. I’m afraid Taeyong entertains this idea too much. So far he applied to few positions in different companies and is waiting for an answer.’

‘Policies of companies are shit for omegas, so I’m down for him applying. Can you imagine if he becomes super good and then reveals that he’s an omega? That would be amazing!’ Hendery finally could shout all he wanted once they were out of the library. ‘Maybe that will make more omegas confident and they will also start fighting!’

Beside him Xiaojun tensed up and Sicheng immediately stepped closer, letting his scent wash over in waves. Xiao was a timid omega and while he did want equal rights, he would never be found within the protesting crowd. Sicheng felt unexplainable urge to protect when it came to his smaller friend and even went as far as wrap his arm around Xiao’s shoulders, something that he’d never do casually. Omega hummed happily, nuzzling in the crook of Sicheng’s neck and basking in his scent. Xiaojun himself smelt like cotton candy, sweet and dreamy - it suited him perfectly. He was the only one who could cuddle to Sicheng and he won’t even bat an eyelash on it, fact that omega used very often.

They walked into Starbucks and were greeted by the sight of Ten singing to some pop song, cleaning the tables. When older alpha saw them he smiled and waved, others doing the same in return.

‘See you in the dance class then?’ Hendery asked and Sicheng nodded. ‘Don’t overwork yourself, Winwinnie.’

‘See you,’ Xiaojun whispered and whined, when Hendery forced him out of Sicheng’s arms. ‘But he smells so good, I don’t wanna go!’

‘He’s right, you know,’ Ten said, suddenly appearing very close to beta. Thai alpha watched as Xiao and Hendery went away and only then turned his full attention to barista. ‘You do smell really good.’

Sicheng frowned and coughed, quickly taking a control of his scent, making it less potent to anyone else. Ten stared at him with intensity that Sicheng didn’t even want to understand, so he turned around and went to their rest room, leaving all his belongings there. After an awkward moment year ago, Ten did not try to flirt with him again, just sticking to totally professional relationship, but lately he’s been giving Sicheng weird stares like he was trying to solve him; like Sicheng was some kind of a riddle or puzzle.

‘You changed, didn’t you?’ He asked, when beta emerged from the rest room in a work attire.

‘What do you mean?’ Sicheng’s voice was absent of any emotion, his stoic mask on place.

‘I’ve watched you for quite some time now. You got out of the cage,’ Ten said, following beta right up to the counter. ‘You don’t think that alpha hitting on a beta is weird anymore, right?’

Sicheng swallowed. This was a dangerous territory they were entering and he hated not knowing what to expect. He was over his little crush - his only ever crush - on Ten, but closeness of an alpha made him nervous. Ten kept on staring at him and Sicheng did his best not to fidget under his gaze.

‘I think everyone should live the way they want to,’ finally beta replied, clearing his throat. That answer seemed to be appropriate. ‘Alphas can hit on anyone they want.’

Ten hummed, mulling over his words. His pretty face was too close for Sicheng’s comfort and when he tried to move away his hip bumped into a wooden counter, making beta flinch. Ten didn’t budge, still standing extremely close and his salty scent of the sea invaded Sicheng’s senses.

‘Careful here, angel,’ Ten whispered, making Sicheng look down because of a nickname and meet his gaze. Even though alpha was shorter, it was clear that he was more powerful out of two. ‘I might just think that you’re ready.’

‘Ready? For what?’ Sicheng furrowed his eyebrows, not liking where this is going.

‘For me hitting on you again.’ Ten said in a sweet tone, smiling. He then stepped back, his scent growing weaker the farer he went from shocked beta. ‘Don’t look so cute, Sicheng, I’m only a man and I am very weak for cute things.’

Sicheng stayed frozen on the spot for full two minutes until he didn’t hear bell on the door jingling, signaling of a customer. He took a calming breath and nodded at their new cashier guy Mark, who quickly came up to take the order. Making coffee was a routine that relaxed him and he let his mind wander, making one cup after another. Sicheng loved the smell of coffee grains, loved to sprinkle cinnamon on the white foam, loved all the little details that made his job harder than anyone thought. Ten, luckily, was busy on the other side, serving cakes, heating up sandwiches and charming any customer with his signature wide smile. He was a sight and Sicheng refused to let himself get carried away. Romantic relationships were something distant for him; like a thought that he liked to entertain, but knew that in reality it would freak him out.

‘Dude, someone came up to you,’ Mark called and when Sicheng turned he saw excited looking Taeyong. ‘You can go, I’ll call if someone comes up.’

‘Sichengie!’ Taeyong exclaimed, hugging his friend as soon as Sicheng walked out of the counter.

‘What’s wrong? You stop by only when something’s wrong.’

‘I… It’s because I don’t want to interrupt your work,’ Taeyong said, looking guilty.

‘Wha- I didn’t mean it like that.’ Sicheng cringed and stepped closer, changing the subject. ‘You seem very excited. What happened?’

Taeyong shoved his phone into Sicheng’s face, practically squealing. It took him a while, but when Sicheng managed take a grip of the phone and focus on the opened mail he couldn’t help but smile widely. Taeyong smiled back, launching himself on beta like an octopus, whispering ‘ _I got in, I got in!_ ’. Sicheng managed to stay upright, laughing quietly and patting his friend’s back. He didn’t notice Ten and Mark watching them closely.

‘I’m happy for you,’ Sicheng whispered once Taeyong settled down. ‘You deserve it so much.’

‘And it’s a great company! God, I still can’t believe in it. I already signed the contract and send them a scan. Sicheng, I did it!’ Taeyong’s smile right now could probably light up the whole town and Sicheng loved it. Seeing his friend this happy made him warm inside.

‘You did it!’ He nodded and saw Mark motioning for him to come as a wave of new customers appeared. ‘I gotta go right now, but I’m very, very happy for you, Taeyong. It’s amazing and you deserve it fully.’ He then added hesitantly: ‘Thank you for coming here to tell me, it means a lot.’

Taeyong’s eyes softened at this and he smiled gently, caressing Sicheng’s arm. ‘Of course, Sichengie. You always are my number one, yeah?’

‘Yeah.’ Sicheng smiled and swallowed back a sudden lump in his throat. ‘I really gotta go. When are you starting?’

‘Tomorrow! I was thinking of inviting all our friends tonight if that’s alright with you?’

Sicheng nodded and Taeyong happily hugged him again. Seeing Taeyong vibrate with excitement and joy, Sicheng let out a little bit of his scent, smiling at the way Taeyong’s expression lit up even more. Omega leaned closer and buried his nose for few seconds in the crook of beta’s neck, sighing in delight. Sicheng took a great pride in knowing that he can be a comfort for his friends, even if it’s just through his scent.

‘Love you, Sichengie. I’ll cook tonight, so don’t come home late!’ He waved and sprinted to the exit.

Sicheng watched him for few more seconds with a goofy smile on his face and then went back behind the counter, quickly taking orders. He was in the middle of making americano, when he heard Mark saying: ‘ _You actually can smile, wow._ ’ Sicheng raised an eyebrow on that, hearing Ten snort. Mark blushed, shaking his head.

‘I mean, you always have this poker face on, I was kinda scared at first. But you actually can smile and laugh and yeah, I’m surprised, I guess. You look cute when you’re smiling.’

Mark’s face turned beet red when he realized what he said and Sicheng turned around, not wanting to embarrass new guy even further. He could feel Ten’s eyes on him and held up his breath, when alpha came closer with an excuse to take milk.

‘Happiness looks good on you, Dong Sicheng,’ he said, walking back to his place. Sicheng didn’t move for a second and then went back to forgotten americano with a small smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DONG SICHENG APPRECIATION SQUAD WHERE YOU AT  
> i'm honestly so overwhelmed with my love for wayv and this boy after their online concert ;')   
> also, jaehyun and lucas will finally make an appearance in the next chapter! i wanted to shine a light on sicheng's character, so his actions later would be somehow understood. he's a baby and we all should protect him :( 
> 
> oh and make sure to stop by on my tumblr blog, where you can request imagines/one-shots with wayv members (www.sentimentaals.tumblr.com)! come and let's chat <3 
> 
> comment below what you think of our sichengie and what you are excited for in the next chapter!


	3. fuck you, fate

A/N about the ages: 

Sicheng, Xiaojun, Hendery - 21

Ten - 22

Yangyang - 19 

Kun, Yuta, Johnny, Tayeong - 24

Lucas, Jaehyun - 27 

**Chapter 3.**

Brand new black slacks, crisp white shirt, black belt and shiny new shoes - Taeyong knocks on Sicheng’s door, nervous. His roommate opens in few seconds, still looking sleepy and extremely adorable. His reflexes are not very quick in the mornings, so Taeyong uses this knowledge and dives in to plant kisses on both cheeks, making younger beta groan.

‘Do I look good?’ Taeyong asks, breathless. Right now he’s basically a ball of nerves and excitement and he needs to make sure that he doesn’t look bad. First day at the new company, after all.

Sicheng rubs his eyes and looks at his friend up and down, pretending not to see how Taeyong fidgets under his gaze. ‘You look like those guys in suits, who stop by at Starbucks to quickly grab a coffee, talking loudly on their phones about millions of dollars they have, so that all of us can feel miserable.’ Taeyong’s expression falters at that and Sicheng mentally curses at himself. ‘Sorry, you know I’m not a morning person and I can’t formulate normal sentences until I had a cup of coffee. All I mean is that you look great, Yong. You always do.’

Taeyong smiles, shyly tucking his head down. Sicheng’s matter-of-fact tone when he gives compliments always makes him want to squeal like some school girl. Omega smiles, thanking his friend and then rushing to the exit. He still has an hour or so before the start, but walk to a new company will take at least forty minutes and he’s too jittery to just sit around now.

‘Are you taking a bus?’ Sicheng asks from his room, while Taeyong ties shoelaces.

‘I’ll walk, it’ll calm me down,’ he answers and straightens, checking his reflection in the mirror.

Taeyong prays he looks respectable enough to create a good image and he consciously tugs at his silver cufflinks - present from Yuta and Johnny on his last birthday. He never was self-conscious about his looks; Taeyong knew he was considered handsome by most of the people, but still. He hears shuffling and turns to find Sicheng leaning on the wall, watching him with still sleepy eyes. His gaze is fond, full of all emotions and words that tall beta never voices out loud and Taeyong feels corners of his lips lifting up against his will.

‘You’ll do great, Yongie,’ Sicheng says and Taeyong’s cheeks heat up at the mention of his nickname. ‘Don’t worry, alright? Did you take your suppressants?’ Taeyong nods and Sicheng nods back, smiling. ‘You should go or you will be late.’

‘Right, okay, I’m ready,’ Taeyong takes a deep breath and grabs his little laptop bag, swallowing. ‘Wish me luck?’

‘You don’t need it,’ Sicheng answers and practically shoves Taeyong out of the flat. ‘You’ll do great anyway.’

+-+

At nine a.m sharp Taeyong is invited to an HR office, where he’s given all of his supplies and was shown a little presentation about the company. SC specializes on consulting and has many big clients all over the country, who need help with their businesses. Everyone here works in small groups of four-five people, working to solve an issue of a client. Most of the projects take one month, but some of the long-term ones can continue on for almost a year if client wants SC to supervise the work. All teams have a project leader and all of them report to manager. Taeyong listened attentively, making small notes in a new notebook.

‘Usually teams are constructed in such way, so we would have at least one specialist from different departments. Lee Taeyong, you are assigned to an on-going project about minimizing industrial costs for a client. More information will be given to you by project leader, but first you’ll have a meeting with a manager, Jung Jaehyun. It’s not easy to get into an already on-going project, but you passed all of the tests and we hope you’ll treat this as a challenge and opportunity to grow and learn more.’ HR administrator stands up, handing him his work laptop. ‘This is yours, please go to IT room, they will explain more about your laptop and systems on it. Do you have any questions?’ Taeyong shook his head. ‘Alright then, IT room is the last one on this floor. HR, IT, Finance and Marketing departments are located on this floor along with all the conference rooms for all teams. Managers and all upper-level positions are on the tenth floor, you obviously don’t go there unless you’re called. If you have questions or doubts, please do not hesitate to come to me, okay? Good luck, Lee Taeyong.’

Taeyong is a bit overwhelmed, but he nods and hopes his smile is not shaky. He gingerly takes all of his belongings to his new place - simple desk right by the window - and sighs quietly. He didn’t drink yesterday, when all of the friends came around, but he feels a bit dizzy for absolutely no reason. Taeyong aligns all of his new belongings on the desk and focuses on a weird buzz under skin. He took suppressants in the morning - that’s one. His heat is due next months - that’s two. Air conditioner is working splendidly in the office - that’s three. Then why does he feel like he’s on the brink of falling into pre-heat? Sweat prickles on his forehead and with annoyed sigh he wipes it off, frowning. Could it be that he chose wrong suppressants? Is he getting sick out of nowhere?

‘Oh, hey. You’re new accountant, right?’ Female voice jostles him from his thoughts and he turns, getting face to face with a young-looking girl. ‘I’m Joy. Taeyong, right? You already are the talk of the office here.’

‘Hi,’ Taeyong mutters, ignoring sudden dryness of his throat. _What is going on with him?_ ‘Yeah, I’m Taeyong. Talk of the office? Why?’

‘We all heard about your amazing test results, Irene was raving about them whole week and Irene is not someone who’s easily impressed,’ Joy replies and scans guy in front of him, who blushes and ducks his face down under such scrutiny. ‘Welcome. I also work in HR, I’m junior administrator here, so if you have questions regarding your work, you can always find me over there.’ She motions to a desk not so far from his own. ‘You’re all settled? Do you need anything?’

‘No, I think I’m fine for now,’ Taeyong smiles, nodding. ‘I need to go to IT though.’

‘Last door, that one,’ Joy points to the end of the long corridor. ‘I think I saw Mr. Jung there, but hopefully I’m wrong and he won’t be there. I wouldn’t want such cute face to be intimidated on his first day of work.’

She winks and waltz away, swaying her hips smoothly from side to side. Taeyong blinks, clearing his throat. He doesn’t even get to think about this apparently intimidating Mr.Jung, because… God, he was feeling absolutely fine just twenty minutes ago, what’s wrong with him now? He feels almost feverish, his skin is a bit too warm to the touch and his throat is as dry as a desert. Taeyong shakes his head in a weak attempt to clear it from a fog. Maybe those are side effects of his suppressants? He took them for a first time, so that must be it. Trying to think of something else, Taeyong grabs his laptop and takes it out of the bag, when he feels it. Or better - _he smells it_. Omega in him keens at an infuriating scent that suddenly invades his lungs. Sharp smell of leather makes his nose twitch and his knees buckle in response, making him grip his desk so hard, his knuckles turn white.

‘What the fuck,’ he breathes out and quickly scans an open space of his office; apart from him and Joy, he can see only two more people, who are hunched over a laptop, arguing quietly about something.

He was warned that most of the people here arrive closer to ten and leave around nine, so no one’s really here. Joy looks absolutely unbothered just like other two guys and Taeyong would have thought that’s hallucinating, imagining something that is not here, but growing itch beneath his skin can’t be fake. His imagination can’t fool with him like that. He never reacted on any scent this violently and his mind can think only of one obvious reason why he would react like that and he pushes it down, down, _down_ \- because no. It can’t be _that_.

‘Joy,’ he calls in a shaky voice and girl raises her head, looking at him questioningly. ‘Do you… feel it? That scent?’

God, he hopes she does. Her face cutely scrunches up and then she sighs. ‘Shit, I told them so many times that their air humidifier just doesn’t work! I’m so sorry, we don’t really open windows here, it probably smells awful and suffocating.’ She stands up and walks toward the windows, opening every single one of them. She then turns to Taeyong and smiles. ‘You’re also a beta, who’s hyper-sensitive to smells? Me too, but I guess because I’m here all the time everything smells the same for me.’

Taeyong is baffled. It takes him exactly two minutes to understand that not only Joy does not have any reaction to the magnificent scent, she _senses nothing at all_. And other two people also don’t appear to notice anything different. He’s the only who feels like crawling out of his skin right now because of the particular scent that hang around their open space area. It smells like leather, sharp and arousing, with undertones of some citrus fruits. To Taeyong it smells like heaven and he swallows. There are 17 billion people on this planet, what are the chances of meeting your destined mate? 0,000001%? This can’t be happening.

‘Oh my god, your face’s really pale now,’ Joy mutters, rushing to his side. ‘Are you that sensitive? I’m really sorry, maybe it’s better if you go outside for a bit?’

She looks worried and Taeyong’s touched, but he can’t focus on anything beyond horrible itching of his whole body. He knows he’s burning up, knows that his pupils are probably blown right now and to an outsider he’ll look like he’s a fever. But it’s his first day on a new job for which he lied about his identity and passed all of the tests, and he’ll be damned if something like this - _this_ being probably having his destined mate somewhere close - will ruin everything. So Taeyong grits his teeth, prays to god for his headache to go away and grabs his laptop, saying that he’ll go to IT room. He doesn’t feel steady on his own legs and it takes all of his willpower to just take a step after step without looking like he’s about to fall over. Sweat beads roll from his forehead, down his face and neck, stopping on his collarbones and then disappearing under his shirt. Air is stuffy, like on the hottest summer day, and he’s sweating, being this close to just throw everything and get the fuck out of this place. Taeyong closes eyes and takes a deep breath. He can do this. He’s a professional and he has a huge experience of even writing an exam while being on the brink of his heat, so this should be easy. Really, piece of cake. He thinks about his suppressants, then his mind drifts to biology lessons in high school when everyone talked about chemistry between destined mates and all of the symptoms that precede it. How did he react on this alluring scent?

Shakiness? Check.

High body temperature? Check.

Dryness of the throat? Check.

Sweating like he’s run a marathon? Check.

Taeyong’s remarkable self-control is the only thing that helps him not to collapse, when suddenly door in front of him - the one to IT room - opens, and a wave of that scent basically crushes on him, the force and intensity of it strong enough to make him fall. Tall, slender man briskly walked out of the room, not sparing Taeyong even a glance, crossing a distance between room and an elevator in mere seconds; he stood with his back to a gaping omega, waiting for elevators doors to open.

‘Mr.Jung, I promise, it’ll be fixed by noon!’ Guy with glasses rushes out of the room, looking frantic.

Taeyong is barely breathing, when the tall man - _an alpha_ , his mind helpfully supplies - turns around. His face is angular with sharp jaw, prominent cheekbones and high nose. Intoxicating scent pours from him in waves and Taeyong has no idea how the guy in glasses holds his ground. Omega in him wants to kneel and turn his head, offering his throat as a sign of total submission. Taeyong’s focus is on keeping his neck muscles rigid; he can’t do something stupid that will reveal him as an omega and not a beta he’s pretending to be.

‘You don’t have time till noon. I want it to be fixed in thirty minutes.’ Mr.Jung says in a strict low tone that can be heard over rather loud ‘ding’ coming from elevator, signaling its arrival.

He turns a little and his eyes stop on Taeyong’s form, making omega’s body tense up out of reflex. It’s just few seconds, but it’s enough for Taeyong to feel like he’s whole body has been lit up on fire. He watches in daze as alpha walks into an elevator and turns, pressing button there and then again looking up at Taeyong. Omega holds his gaze till the last second, till doors close off again with a ‘ding’ that startles him.

‘Hello?’ Guy with glasses watches him quizzically. ‘Are you okay? You look kinda shaken up.’

‘I…’ Taeyong licks his lips, clearing his throat. His voice sounds broken and he just opts for shaking his head.

Guy just stares at him like he’s crazy and honestly? Taeyong’s pretty sure that the guy might be right. He leans on the wall, closing his eyes. Now that Mr.Jung is nowhere near his scent fades into the background, lingering in Taeyong’s lungs, refusing to get out of there. It takes him five minutes to get his breathing under control. When he’s done, the guy with glasses is nowhere to be seen and door to IT room is closed. Taeyong doesn’t care if he someone can see him leaning on the wall and with laptop pressed to his chest. His rational mind analyzes what happened in the last twenty minutes:

Is he going into pre-heat? No. His fever magically died down, his body temperature is back to normal and all he feels is a slight dizziness. No slick coming from his ass, thank god.

Did all the symptoms fade once Mr.Jung went away? Yes.

Did all the symptoms start when Mr.Jung most probably appeared on this floor? With a high chance, yes.

Did anyone else react on Mr.Jung’s scent the same way he did? No.

Did anyone else even notice his scent from that far? No.

Taeyong sharply inhales as his brain supplies him with the most obvious answer. No, he wants to shout. _No, no, no_. Taeyong’s afraid: what if his suppressants have stopped working? What if something went wrong because of that Jung guy and his scent is more obvious to everyone? Taeyong cringes and prays. He smells like strawberries, no way in hell someone will think of him as of a beta. He bites his lower lip and quickly straightens up, when door in front of him opens. Omega almost screams in a fright, but swallows his shout in the last second.

‘Dude, are you sure you’re fine? Did Mr. Jung scare you that much?’ Guy with glasses looks at him with genuine concern and Taeyong forces a smile.

‘Sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into me,’ Taeyong lets out and clears his throat. ‘I’m new here, my name’s Taeyong. Irene told me to stop by, so you can give me a talk about some systems in this laptop.’

‘Oh, I see. I’m Taeil, nice to meet you. Come in, it won’t be quick.’ His smile is friendly when he steps to the side, letting Taeyong pass.

The room is surprisingly spacious and Taeyong nods to four other workers, who nod back before going back to their work. Taeil makes small talk, asks Taeyong about his university and then moves on to the systems and programs that are downloaded on the laptop and gives him all of the passwords. He doesn’t react weirdly and says nothing about scent, so Taeyong with realizes with relief that suppressants are doing their job in blocking his scent very well.

‘If anything goes wrong you can always come here, we work here on shifts, so at least one person is always in the office,’ Taeil hands his laptop and smiles. ‘Hope you’ll like it here. Have they already assigned you to a project?’

‘Yeah, the one about minimizing industrial costs. I should have a meeting with Mr. Jung, he’s the manager.’

Taeil cringes and then pats Taeyong’s shoulder in sympathy. ‘That’s rough man.’

Taeyong’s eye twitches. He already heard from Joy that this Jung guy is intimidating and now to hear this from Taeil makes him really not want to meet his manager.

‘Well, so far Mr.Jung sounds like a delight. I can’t wait to meet him.’

Taeil cracks a smile and Taeyong can hear some of the other IT specialists laughing on what he said. He waves and goes back to his desk, noticing that more and more people started coming in. Some of them glance his way and he bows respectfully, a bit terrified at the amount of new people he’s going to meet. He listens to his body for any signs of what have happened earlier and realizes that most of the weird symptoms are gone, thankfully.

‘Taeyong!’ Irene comes up to him with apologetic smile on her face and Taeyong tenses up, expecting the worst. ‘I’m so sorry, but I have to postpone your meeting with Jung Jaehyun. He and all of the board members are super busy preparing presentation for new investors, so he won’t be able to meet you today. But your project leader, Boa, will be able to take you in an hour. Until that time you can meet with another members of your team in a conference room called ‘Paris’. All our conference rooms are named after head offices of the company all around the world. Oh and about Mr.Jung… I think tomorrow he will be ready to have an appointment with you.’

Irene looks distressed and Taeyong quickly soothes her, saying that everything is alright and he’s happy with meeting just his project leader and team members for now. Irene immediately relaxes and smiles at him, showing which conference room he should go. On his way there Taeyong wonders how many people with a surname Jung there are in this company. The guy he met at IT room won’t be that Jung, right? It just can’t be. _Jung Jaehyun, probably is another person_ , Taeyong thinks. Fate can’t be cruel like that. Only it can and Taeyong knows it very well, sinking feeling in his stomach confirms his fears. He tries to shake off this feeling, going to the conference room. He knocks twice and after hearing cheerful: ‘come in!’, he opens the door, hesitantly walking inside. Four people are seated in a tight circle with their laptops open and papers are scattered around the table in a messy way.

‘I’m Taeyong,’ he introduces himself, his voice coming out confident although he doesn’t feel that way at all. ‘Irene told me that you all-’

‘Are you the new accountant?’ Short girl with unruly hair interrupts, blinking at him. Taeyong nods and all four people sigh in relief. ‘Thank god, we were kind of dying without someone who knows financial part. Come in, don’t stand there! I’m Wendy, brand executive from marketing department. C’mon, don’t be shy, we don’t bite here.’

Taeyong walks further, bowing slightly. Wendy takes his hand and makes him sit down next to her, turning to others. ‘This is Yeri, she’s from IT department,’ she motions to a timid looking girl, who sends a small wave in Taeyong’s direction, which he returns with a smile. ‘This is Jungwoo, he’s from supply chain and he looks this young, because he is the baby of the group.’ Jungwoo smiles in a carefree way, practically exuding boyish charm. ‘And this grumpy right here is Haechan, he’s from legal department, but don’t mind him, he just didn’t have breakfast, he usually is way friendlier.’ The Haechan guy huffs and rolls his eyes, but nods to Taeyong nevertheless.

‘I have a sandwich, if you..want?’ Taeyong asks, unsure. Haechan’s eyes light up and he confidently continues: ‘’It’s with tuna. Do you want some?’

‘I’d love to!’ Haechan looks much friendlier when he’s not frowning and Taeyong reaches for his bag, pulling wrapped sandwich out of it. ‘But don’t you want it too?’

‘It’s alright, I’ve had a breakfast,’ Taeyong lies, handing his sandwich to the other guy.

Haechan eyes food like it’s something precious and Taeyong smiles. He actually packed this sandwich for himself, but he’s too nervous and won’t be able to stomach any food soon. He watches how Wendy smacks Haechan on the head for not being mindful of a new team member and stealing his food, Jungwoo laughs at Haechan’s pout and when he starts talking with a full mouth Yeri sighs, shaking her head. They look a like they’ve known each other for a while, like they are more friends than just co-workers and Taeyong thinks he can fit in their dynamic or at least he hopes he can.

‘Have you already met Boa or Mr.Jung?’ Jungwoo asks, while Wendy and Haechan bicker.

‘No, I’m going to meet Boa in an hour and Mr.Jung tomorrow.’ Taeyong answers and tries to ask as nonchalantly as possible, testing the grounds: ‘I’ve already gotten an impression that Mr.Jung is a rather intimidating man. Is that true?’

‘He’s a dick,’ Haechan deadpans and Yeri shushes him, while Jungwoo almost falls back on the floor, laughing. ‘Whatever you heard about him, it’s all true. He’s intimidating as fuck, but hella smart too.’

‘Very commanding,’ Wendy adds. ‘But his strategies are the best, they always end up working so well for the clients and honestly, he’s so smart that it kinda is okay that he’s a bit of an asshole, you know? Like everyone just lets it slide, because he is one of the best managers.’

Taeyong nods. He’s not sure what to feel about his new manager, but dread settles in the pit of his stomach.

‘He’s not a monster, but he’s kinda horrifying,’ Jungwoo inserts, still laughing. ‘When he gets mad, it’s really scary. He’s just very intense about… everything. He doesn’t relax, you know? Like we have other managers here and everyone else is pretty casual, but Mr.Jung holds us in an iron fist. It sucks cause he really makes us work extra hard and he is not nice, that’s true, but also we learn a lot, so…’ Jungwoo’s lower lip juts out a little bit, when he pretends to be in a deep thought. ‘Yeah, anyway, if Lucas walked in here right now and asked if I wanted to be in his team I would agree in a heartbeat and ditch all of them.’

‘Wow,’ Haechan breathes out, standing up to pour himself some water. ‘You have zero loyalty to your manager and your team…but also, same man. High five!’

Taeyong watches in amusement how they high five each other, both grinning widely. Wendy next to him sighs and shakes her head. She tells him that actually Mr.Jung is not that horrible and they are just making fun of him. To Taeyong this doesn’t look like making fun at all, but he stays silent, preferring to listen and then make his own judgement. Yeri, who was silent all the time, mutters something under her breath that he couldn’t hear.

‘Sorry, what?’ He asks and she blushes. ‘I just didn’t hear.’

‘I said that-,’ she clears her throat and says, louder this time with a dreamy expression: ‘- that it’s good how we have the scent blockers policies. I can’t imagine how we’d sit down on one of those sessions, when he’s mad at us, if we didn’t have those policies. His scent would probably fly off the roof.’

‘Scent blockers policies?’ Taeyong asks, confused.

‘You’re new, Irene will probably tell you about them this week. But as Yeri already said that… I will explain.’ Wendy says, smiling.

‘Yeri has the biggest crush on Jung Jaehyun,’ Jungwoo helpfully supplies and Yeri blushes even harder. ‘She just dreams about finding out his scent, how he smells like. Don’t you, Yeri? Don’t you just wanna know?’

‘Don’t tease her like that,’ Haechan says, still munching on the sandwich. ‘She might faint.’

Yeri is a blushing mess and Taeyong feels bad for her, but Wendy takes all of his attention, when she starts explaining. ‘Our company believes that scents can be very distracting in the work, so we all have to wear scent blockers. Don’t worry, they are not harmful. They work more in a concealing way, I guess, so they don’t actually harm your body. You just end up smelling like… nothing, really. Like beta, in other words.’

Taeyong looks around and only then notices that he indeed can’t pick up any scent from the team members. Same with Irene, Joy or Taeil. They all smelled neutral and that’s why he just naturally assumed that all of them are betas. His eyebrows furrow - this scent of… nothingness is very disturbing. Most of the betas wear perfumes, so right now to not be able to smell at least something throws him off; or maybe he’s just too used to Sicheng’s strong scent even though his friend is a beta.

‘They give us these pills every months, but if you run out of them faster you can always just request another pack,’ Jungwoo shows him round white pills in a blister packaging that he took from his pockets. ‘Obviously, they are totally free for all of the workers.’

‘Jungwoo is actually an alpha,’ Haechan says and laughs at Taeyong’s widened eyes. ‘And Wendy too. Me and Yeri are betas. You’re beta too, right?’

Taeyong doesn’t trust his voice not to break, so he nods instead. Thousand of thoughts are rushing through his mind and he has to take a deep breath, focusing on the important parts.

‘And does everyone take them?’

‘Yeah, it’s mandatory. Even the cleaning staff takes them, I think. We do have punishments here for not taking them. So, yeah, we really don’t have any scents here. It’s always weird at first, when you walk from a street into this building, because you suddenly don’t smell anyone, but then you get used to it.’

Taeyong’s head spins. He thinks of scent blocker policies and then thinks of a very strong, impossible to miss, scent of leather that nearly made him lose his mind earlier. He thinks of his suppressants and then of Mr.Jung, who walked out of IT room, smelling rich and dangerous and like something Taeyong would gladly spend his whole life smelling. Just like 1+1, all of the facts add up in his mind and there is only one answer. An answer that he needs to be confirmed and there’s only one thing missing.

‘Are there a lot of people with surname Jung here?’ He asks and prays silently to all of the gods above.

Everyone looks confused at the question and mull over it for few seconds.

‘I don’t think so,’ Yeri says and other nods. ‘I know it’s a rather common surname, but honestly, we have like what - seventy people at max working here? There’s only one Jung as far as I know. We have a lot of people with surname Kim, though.’

‘Yeah, I’ve been here the longest, three years already, and I know only one Jung and it’s our manager, Jung Jaehyun or Mr.Jung how we call him.’ Wendy confirms. ‘Why?’

Taeyong closes his eyes for a brief second and takes a deep breath. Jung Jaehyun, who is the same Mr.Jung who walked out of the IT room, who is coincidentally also the same guy, whose scent made Taeyong go crazy in mere seconds. Jung Jaehyun, who supposedly takes scent blockers and who probably took them also today, because no one was able to scent him. No one but Taeyong, who in response to the scent almost fucking went into his pre-heat state. _Jung Jaehyun_ , who is his manager and his destined mate.

‘Just asking,’ Taeyong answers and hopes his voice didn’t sound shaky.

 _Fuck you fate_ , he thinks and can practically hear universe laughing loudly at him in return.

+-+

Sicheng sees it clearly in his dream: a beautiful house made of glass and wood and steel. Windows from the floor to the ceiling, white furniture, light brown wood. He sees forest - not just bunch of trees and a playground - but a really forest wild and thick; with oak and cone-bearing trees that have been there for decades, with small river running through it and high grass and thick bushes all over the ground. He even hears small sounds like cracking of branches, squirrels jumping from one tree to another, water gently running down the stones. If he concentrates, Sicheng can smell it even; a strong scent of grass and pine hitting his nose. The image is so clear in his mind that he can pick up on the smallest details, making it seem so real that he almost thinks he’s already there, in this imaginary place. When in the beginning of the year their professor gave them two weeks to choose a theme for their final graduation project, Sicheng didn’t even hesitate before submitting his idea of a modern forest house, wanting to show everyone that these kind of houses don’t have to be rustic. They can be beautiful, nestled perfectly between trees on an open ground next to the river. He always longed for the forest, loved hiking and getting lost in narrow paths and when he learned that his scent was just that - scent of a the place he loved the most, Sicheng thought that nothing could have suited him better. His professor accepted his idea, gave some suggestions and so far was impressed with the research that Sicheng has completed on this matter. Beta felt pride blooming in his chest whenever someone complimented him for his hard work and that’s why he took his studies very seriously. Even right now, when he needed to clean leftovers on his shift in Starbucks, he sat on the empty table with his sketchpad, immersed in drawing. His boss was absent running some errands, Mark and Ten were playing Animal Crossing on their switches and Sicheng enjoyed quiet buzz of the place - Starbucks around 4-5 p.m was his favorite.

His fingers drew line after line and with arrows he pointed which wall will be made of wood and which of steel; with dots he accentuated all-glass enclosure, wanting living room to have a full view of the forest. His fingers and hands were smudged in charcoal from his graphite pencil, from where he was smudging the lines with his thumb and smiling, pleased at the result. He didn’t even hear bell ringing and Mark had to call him twice before Sicheng came back to the real world.

‘One espresso con pana,’ Mark says and Sicheng nods, leaving his sketchpad open on the table rushing behind the counter to get to work.

This is not the drink that gets requested often and he smiles - one can only prepare so many cups of Americano before he gets bored. Espresso con pana is basically an espresso drink with whipped cream on top. Being guilty of having a sweet tooth himself, Sicheng adds a cream near the size of a little muffin and he hopes he didn’t overdo it. Turning the cup in order to see the name he clears his throat before softly calling for a guy named Lucas. Beta starts cleaning and looks up only in few seconds, when no one came for their drink. Mark’s counting coins, Ten is nowhere to be seen and for a minute Sicheng’s confused, because he doesn’t see anyone apart from the workers.

‘Lucas?’ he tries again, louder this time. He turns his head to the right side and his eyes immediately catch a tall figure that stands with his back to him. ‘Sir, your espresso is ready.’

He doesn’t register it at first, but then he realizes that a stranger is standing next to the table, where Sicheng has left his sketchpad open and- he’s holding it. He is holding Sicheng’s sketchpad like it’s his. Before Sicheng can even register it, he’s already standing in front of the guy, fuming inside, but presenting a perfect picture of calmness outside.

‘It’s mine.’ Sicheng’s voice sounds like steel even to his own ears.

The guy in questions looks up, startled and he takes a step back in surprise. His big eyes stare at Sicheng with almost childish curiosity and awe and beta blinks, extending his hand, hoping the other person will just give him back his sketchpad.

‘Did you draw this?’ Stranger asks and his voice is booming, low and husky and so loud in an otherwise quiet place that it catches Sicheng off guard. ‘It’s amazing, dude!’

Sicheng can easily admit that social interactions are not his forte. He can be very awkward with people he’s known for a while, not even talking about complete strangers with who he just fails at any kind of communication. That’s why right now he feels a whirl of emotions: from pride that this guy recognized his work to complete confusion other why would someone even take interest in his sketch and then to an anger that his sketchpad was taken without his permission. Sicheng stays silent and it’s the stranger’s turn to be confused. With his eyebrows furrowed and puzzled look on his face he looks like a distraught puppy. Blinking at the comparison he just made in his head, beta clears his throat and points at the sketchpad:

‘It’s mine,’ he repeats, voice still absent of any emotion. ‘Give it back.’

‘Oh, sorry, sure,’ stranger is quick to oblige and he hands sketchbook back, his fingers grazing Sicheng’s in the process and beta forces himself not to flinch. ‘Sorry for just taking it, but I was walking here to get my phone charged and then I saw the sketch.. and it was opened, I swear, I didn’t pry and open it myself. It was opened and I saw it and holy shit, dude, it’s brilliant!’

 _Brilliant_. No one has ever said this about his work. Sicheng grips sketchpad in his hands and refuses to look up because a) he’s extremely shy and b) the attractiveness of a guy in front of him simply intimidates him. He’s always been shy with handsome people, but the stranger is not just handsome. ‘Handsome’ towards him is an understatement. Without better words to describe, he is glowing. Sicheng almost wants to squint, because the guy _radiates_ confidence but not in an imposing way. He’s tall, way taller than Sicheng and that says a lot, because in his life Sicheng met only two people taller than him - Johnny and Yuta, but this guy might even be taller than them. His skin is beautiful olive tone, the one when it looks like person just came back from vacation that he spent sunbathing, all tanned. Sicheng tries not to stare at big hands with long fingers, at how white shirt and black pants cling to his lean and defined body; he pitifully tries not to make eye contact, because those big brown eyes will swallow him whole. Against a better judgement he raises his head and his eyes immediately catch full lips that are moving, saying something that Sicheng really needs to understand, but he is distracted by white teeth and a little dimple that pops out sometimes. _Get a grip_ , his mind screams, _you’re behaving like a starstruck omega! You’re a beta goddammit!_ Sicheng quickly schools his expression into a one of complete indifference and his anxiety shoots over the roof when he notices that all the time this guy has been checking him out too.

‘Your espresso is ready,’ he says.

Sicheng places his sketchpad on the table and turns, going back to his place. Beta tries not to look back and swiftly gets behind the counter. The scent of a stranger tickles his nose - he smells like sunshine, something warm, like cedar wood. This scent strangely makes him think of a forest, of that house he’d love to build one day and it unnerves him. He never really took a notice of anyone’s scent.

‘Thanks!’ His voice is cheerful and Sicheng turns in time to see the guy - _Lucas_ , he suddenly remembers, - try the espresso.

He asks for a spoon and when beta hands it to him, he takes a spoonful of whipped cream. The guy is obviously an alpha, everything in him practically screams of it and yet he has a huge sweet tooth - if the way he happily munches whipped cream is any indicator - and Sicheng finds it strangely endearing.

‘It’s good,’ guy - _Lucas_ , his mind corrects him, - comments and beta only stares, blinking owlishly. No one has ever commented on his coffee. ‘Just like your sketch. Are you an architect?’

Sicheng is worried: his heart is beating way too erratic in his chest. He looks at Lucas and wants to ask so many questions like _Why are you still here? Why are you still talking to me? What do you want? Why aren’t you going away? What is going on?!_ but he’s saved from embarrassment when Lucas’s phone rings and he sighs, pinching his nose bridge in a clear annoyance.

‘I gotta go,’ he announces and then looks up, flashing a million dollar smile at Sicheng. ‘Thank for the coffee, cutie!’

He honest to god _winks_ and walks away, taking away with him his cup, his scent and, apparently, Sicheng’s ability to talk. Beta is frozen on his spot for few minutes until Mark doesn’t jump on back, all excited and giggling like a high school girl.

‘ _Man_ , what an eye-candy!’ Mark sighs dreamily and licks his lips. ‘Such a hot alpha, his voice is like honey, isn’t it? Damn, why alphas like that don’t come here more often? Oh and he flirted with you!’

That’s when Sicheng unfreezes completely, staring at his co-worker like he’s grown a second head. ‘He was flirting with me?’

‘Yes?’ Mark stares at him like he’s an idiot. ‘I heard everything, he called you cutie and winked and when you two were talking over there he was looking at you like-’

‘Get back to work, Mark.’ Ten suddenly commands and Sicheng almost jumps in surprise.

He looks at alpha, who’s staring Mark down. With a detached sigh Mark unlatches himself from Sicheng’s back and goes to his place.

‘We are not here to flirt with customers,’ Ten says sternly and looks at Sicheng like he did something wrong. ‘And if customers flirt with us and we’re not comfortable with it, we can always file-’

‘He wasn’t flirting with me,’ Sicheng interrupts, still baffled. Why would such handsome alpha flirt with someone like him? He should have realized that Sicheng’s a beta, right?

His thoughts were probably written on his face, because Ten’s gaze soften and he looks at Sicheng with something very close to pity. Beta hears Mark’s exasperated groan and: ‘You won’t see someone flirting with you even if they handed you their heart on the plate!’ on which Ten hisses in annoyance.

‘He…wasn’t flirting with me…right?’ Sicheng asks in a small voice, looking up to Ten.

Alpha stares at him for what feels like an eternity before sighing: ‘From one cage of close mindedness you flew right to another cage of self-doubt, didn’t you?’

Sicheng just stares blankly, not grasping hidden meaning behind the words. Ten wants to say many things; many sentences that contain words like _brilliant, amazing, beautiful, unearthly_ \- but he knows that beta won’t believe him now. He sees confusion in Sicheng’s eyes, sees lack of self-confidence and sees that just the thought of someone taking an interest in him is foreign to a beta. So instead of saying all of it he just shakes his head, softly saying:

‘Get back to work, Winwinnie. Get back to work.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do you guys ever think about how sicheng wrote 'wayv, i love you' before he had to bungee jump? cause i think about it A LOT   
> anyways! please tell me what do you think of this chapter! kudos and comments are super appreciated, you make me want to cry and write more <3 thank to everyone who commented so far - you're brilliant uwu
> 
> what do you want to see next? (also im sorry if you wanted lucas to be all cold - it's jaehyun's role here :D) and i can't figure out how to add pictures here smh -.- wanted to show you how they look like
> 
> this is getting kinda long, but yeah, as always, come to tumblr to chat and request imagines or one-shot with wayv members! (http://sentimentaals.tumblr.com) <3


	4. of broken heart and lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehyun x Yukhei dynamics + smut!

Anosmia. A big word for a seven years old Jaehyun. A word that shattered his tiny world into pieces, leaving him confused, hurt and ashamed. Confused because he couldn’t get why he can’t smell anything anymore, hurt because he became a ‘freak’ to all of his friends and ashamed, because that’s the reason of arguments between his parents. (‘It is your fault!’ His mother screeches, voice laces with anger. ‘Those nasal sprays must be used only when absolutely necessary and now because of you our son-’ Jaehyun hears the sound of something smashing against the wall. ‘ _My_ fault?! Doctor gave this receipt! And how can you even put the blame on me, when _your_ family is the one that has congenital anosmia, so it’s all _your_ genes!’ His father’s voice was so loud that Jaehyun feared windows might shatter. That night he heard many things - things that no child should hear from his parents about each other - and that was the last night he saw his parents together in the same house. His father left early in the morning and when his mother weeped, holding her son like he was her lifeline, seven year old Jaehyun knew one thing for sure - it was all his fault.)

Jaehyun learned many things. Like that his anosmia was caused by the damage to olfactory receptor neurons, because of use of certain nasal sprays. He also learned about congenital anosmia and that there was a chance of his ability to smell decreasing anyway, even if nasal spray won’t have done the damage. Jaehyun learned that when one sense is lost, the areas of brain normally devoted to handling that sensory information don’t get unused - they get rewired. It’s like brain adapts to the loss by giving itself a makeover, putting way more work in processing over senses, which always results in the heightening of them. No, Jaehyun did not somehow start to see clearer or hear better, although he really wanted to; isn’t this how all the superheroes were born? He was twelve and really loved the comics about all kinds of superheroes, reading them non-stop and sharing his favorite ones with his best friend. (At the beginning of a school year new boy got transferred to their class. He was tall, with big eyes and wide smile. Despite his outward cheerfulness Jaehyun immediately realized that the boy was actually almost painfully shy and tried to mask it by being extra loud. Jaehyun wasn’t close to anyone in his class, most of the people called him ‘freak’ and while it did hurt, Jaehyun was absolutely fine with being alone and concentrating on the lessons. But new guy was ordered to sit with him and when he turned to Jaehyun with a small hesitant smile, so different from the one that he gave others, Jaehyun couldn’t help but smile in return. ‘I’m Lucas,’ he says and he tries to whisper, but it ends up pretty loud anyway. Jaehyun looks at the outstretched hand and swallows. Something inside is telling him that he should shake this hand right now, that this boy with puppy-like features is not just a passing face in his life. And maybe that’s his superpower? Maybe this is the sense that got heightened? His intuition? Jaehyun smiles too and carefully takes Lucas’s hand in his, shaking it. ‘Hi, Lucas. I’m Jaehyun.’)

Jaehyun learned that anosmia can be dangerous. He spent four days in the hospital all because of the pipeline emergency. A small gas salve have been left open in the school laboratory and through ventilation system spread out all over school grounds. It was at the evening, when most of the students were at home, save for the ones who were punished. Jaehyun was one of them, cleaning their locker room and he obviously didn’t smell a gas leak unlike four teachers and ten students, who were immediately requested to leave school grounds. Lucas, who was stuck in punishment because he talked back to his teacher, searched all over the building for him, screaming his name at the top of his lungs. He found Jaehyun unconscious in the shower cabins of their locker room and carried him out. (‘I got really scared, you know,’ Lucas said, sitting on hospital bed, where Jaehyun laid. His mother thanked Lucas around thousand times, his father was probably already buying his friend something expensive as a thank you present and Jaehyun couldn’t say a thing. His throat burned with all of the unsaid words; he wanted to thank his friend, but the shame for being so weak ran so deep that he couldn’t force his tongue to move. Luckily for him, Lucas seemed to get everything from his eyes and the way he was squeezing his hand. ‘I owe you, Lucas. Thanks for saving me,’ Jaehyun whispered, looking at the boy seriously. Lucas blinked and then shook his head. He searched for something in Jaehyun’s eyes and judging by the way his lips stretched into a smile, Jaehyun thought that whatever it is he searched for - he found it. ‘Yukhei.’ Jaehyun’s eyebrow rose in a puzzlement. Lucas laughed softly, a bit embarrassed. ‘My real name is Yukhei. Wong Yukhei. If we’re best friends then call me Yukhei.’ Jaehyun smiled. Yuk-hei. The name rolled like butter from his tongue. He liked it. And he liked Yukhei and they most definitely were best friends. ‘Yukhei.’ He said and boy beside him eagerly nodded, smiling wide. His presence was that of a sun - it made you feel warm. Jaehyun thought that if this is what it feels like to have a best friend, then he’s a fool for not having one before. And he also thought that he’s keeping Wong Yukhei. For good.)

Yukhei never thought of Jaehyun as of anything less because of anosmia. He never raised this subject, but he’s taken into a habit to constantly check Jaehyun’s food containers that he orders once in two weeks, smelling them in case food got spoiled. Jung has never asked for it, but was secretly grateful. Even right now, when Yukhei rummages through his fridge and gets all of the containers out, he feels warmth blooming in his chest.

‘Dude, c’mon, almost half of them are expired!’ Yukhei takes a handful of containers and throws them all into the bin. ‘When was the last time you ate at home? Or opened your own fridge?’

‘They just bring me these every two weeks and sometimes I forget that I even have them,’ Jaehyun confesses, cringing at the sight of his bin full of spoiled food. ‘For the last two months I think I ate like once at home and that’s it.’

Every weekend Jaehyun spends with his mother in her house, but all weekdays he’s stays till late in the office, ordering food and not even coming into the kitchen of his own apartment. Yukhei frowns at his reply and Jaehyun feels pang of guilt in his chest. Yukhei is the only person other than his parents for whose opinion he actually cares about. But he can’t tell his friend the truth. He can’t let Yukhei know that since Chenle left he hates coming back to his apartment. It’s too cold, feels too impersonal. No one’s here to greet him, no one’s waiting for him to come, there’s no one who he can pull into his arms and shower with love and affection. Chenle was like a breeze - he breathed in air and love in Jaehyun’s life. Later Jung learned that the air he breathed in was poison and love was a lie, but it was good while it lasted.

‘All of these are spoiled,’ Yukhei’s voice brings him out of the memories. Jaehyun looks up and sees how Yukhei’s face scrunches up when he sniffs one of the containers. ‘What if I hadn’t come up and check those, man? You’d eat it and-’

‘I’d get a food poisoning, no big deal,’ Jaehyun interrupts and ducks away from Yukhei’s punch just in time. ‘I’m kidding. But also not kidding. Stop acting like my mom and better tell me what got you so excited.’

Jung came back to his apartment past ten and he did not expect any guests, that’s why he was surprised when he heard a familiar sound of someone entering six digit code to his place. For a second he tensed up, but then relaxed because security in his apartment building is impeccable and apart from him only Yukhei knows the code to his apartment. His friend came in his usual fashion - loudly announcing his arrival and acting like Jaehyun’s home is his home. Which, in all honesty, is the truth in Jaehyun’s mind, but Wong didn’t have to know that. So Yukhei storms in, hyper excited and then he got distracted with a poor state of Jaehyun’s fridge, so Jung didn’t get to learn what got his friend so excited at the first place. Yukhei’s face immediately splits into a huge grin and he happily props himself on a kitchen counter, ignoring Jaehyun’s irritated _tsk_ and low muttering of chair being _right there_.

‘I met a boy.’

‘Of course you did.’ Jaehyun rolls his eyes and goes to the living room, taking bottle of water with him. ‘I’m not in the mood to listen to your romantic escapades, I have so much work to do-’

‘It’s not like that!’ Yukhei loudly whines and comfortably lays right on the floor. ‘I mean, not like I wouldn’t want it to be like that, because I 100% would want that and-’

‘Yukhei.’

‘- alright. But it’s about the project, I think I found the solution! What if they build a cabin in the woods?’ Yukhei gauges Jaehyun’s reaction and when his friend doesn’t protest or scoff and instead looks mildly interested, he continues with a renewed enthusiasm: ‘Just think about it! A cabin in the woods? These clients have been looking for something unique, something that would challenge them, so they can show off and win that tender. All other companies will do what? Build a building somewhere in the city. What’s unique about that? Alright, they may build something in a weird shape and so what? But I saw one sketch today and it’s like.. super modern house in the middle of the forest. Half of the walls made of steel, another half of wood. Windows from floor to the ceiling. It looked so good, Jae! And can you imagine if these guys will manage to make it sustainable? Everyone is hyped on the eco-friendly theme nowadays. This idea is new and it will help them to stand out, don’t you think?’

Jaehyun caresses Italian leather of his sofa, thinking. The idea itself is good enough, but it’s not polished to the perfection yet. He knows for sure that Yukhei’s boss, Donghae, will not accept it at this stage. Yukhei knows it too, but unlike Jaehyun, he’s not a perfectionist and is not afraid to bring an unfinished idea on the table.

‘It for sure sounds interesting,’ Jaehyun says and Yukhei’s smile, if it’s even possible, widens even more. ‘Lacks a lot of details, but the base is there and it’s good. You need to make it sound much more solid before you go with the proposition to Donghae.’

Yukhei nods, turning into a serious mode. They both work at the same company and although they’re in the different teams, departments and are under different managers, Jaehyun still counts this as a miracle. Graduating from university and then jumping straight into his father’s business hasn’t been an easy feat for him and when he finally gathered to courage to go his own way and build a career in a sector and a place that feels his, Jaehyun couldn’t be happier when his friend joined him on this ride. Yukhei returned to China after graduating and distance did not falter their friendship, much to relief of the both boys. Always being more flamboyant and open, Yukhei found his passion in marketing and then moved to PR sector, charming everyone with his happy-go-lucky attitude and bright smile. Jaehyun, on the other hand, tried to find himself in finance and only then understood that he’s a sales man through and through. If Yukhei’s charm laid in his friendliness and sincerity that practically shone from his eyes, then Jaehyun used his looks and hard logic in order to win his deals. Where Yukhei made people coo and giggle, Jaehyun made them swoon and blush. If Yukhei was used to hugs and words of affection from clients, Jaehyun learned to ignore lustful stares and not so subtle moves to get closer to him. They learned, made mistakes, got better and at twenty-seven Jaehyun, Sales manager, can confidently say he and Yukhei, PR manager, are one of the biggest assets in the company and in few years they can take places of their managers.

‘Okay,’ Jaehyun says, smiling at his friend. ‘I know you want to-, no, I know you’re _dying_ to tell me about this boy you met. Spill it.’

Yukhei’s whole demeanor changed in a second: from being a serious man he turned into lovestruck teenager. Right now he was embodiment of that one where emoji, where instead of eyes there were hearts. ‘I am sure for 99% that he’s an angel, like an honest to god angel that fell from heavens!’

On the first glance one would think of Yukhei as of a rather carefree alpha and while there was some truth in the statement, it wasn’t exactly correct. Many people thought that Yukhei was not serious, that he preferred flings other actual relationships and that he didn’t have emotional or intellectual depth simply due to the fact that alpha was very easy on the eyes. Jaehyun knew that it wasn’t right, hence he was amongst a circle of selected people, who called alpha by his real name instead of calling him ‘Lucas’ like everyone else. The thing is, Yukhei was naturally flirty and had crushes and casual dates often, but he treated actual relationship or a thought of it with an utmost seriousness and respect. Yukhei never was in real relationship, claiming that he’s waiting for the one, which was laughable for Jaehyun, but he never judged. (‘The idea of a destined mate is stupid,’ Jaehyun said at his 18th birthday. ‘I won’t be able to realize that the person in front of me is my destined mate, because I can’t smell a thing.’ Yukhei shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal. And maybe it really wasn’t, but being a secret romantic at heart, Jaehyun really wanted to find that one person, who is destined for him. ‘But isn’t that even better that you can’t smell them? It means you’re going to fall for someone for who they are, without being biased because of their scent. I think it’s really cool.’ Yukhei sat closer and wrapped his arm around birthday boy’s shoulders. ‘And Jae, if ever in this life you’ll be lucky enough to meet that person, don’t you think that you’ll realize it’s them anyway? If fate is kind enough to put your destined mate on your path then it’s kind enough to let you both get together eventually.’ Yukhei always knew what to say to make Jaehyun’s shoulders sag with relief and his heart feel lighter. ‘And you? Are you dreaming of a perfect little omega?’ He asked, letting himself lean on a friend. ‘Not an omega in particular,’ Yukhei whispered back, his voice getting lower and his eyes glazing over like they always did whenever he dreamed of something. ‘You know me, I don’t really care for that. If it’s omega - cool, if beta or even another alpha - cool.’ Jaehyun snorted. Yukhei’s openness to questions like that has always amused him. ‘But only alphas and omegas have destined mates.’ He argued. ‘I’m not exactly look for a destined mate. I’m just looking for my person, you know? I’ll know if he or she’s the one. I know I will.’ Jaehyun stayed silent, wishing that he’d also had this kind of confidence.)

‘Why only for 99 percent? Where did the last percentage go?’ Jaehyun asks, moving to the side, so Yukhei can lay on the sofa too.

‘He never smiled,’ his friend replies, pouting. But then he looks up with the biggest gummy smile, saying: ‘But I bet his smile is gorgeous! He’s so pretty, Jae, he really looks like an angel, he-’

Two knocks on the door made him pause. Jaehyun frowns, standing up, but Yukhei shushes him and rushes to the corridor, shouting for Jaehyun to go to the kitchen. Five minutes later Yukhei appears with arms full of Chinese takeout, struggling not to drop it. Jaehyun helps and smiles, seeing that his friend ordered all of his favorites.

‘You didn’t have to,’ he says, shaking his head but smiling nonetheless.

‘Yeah, but I wanted to.’ Yukhei shrugs like it’s nothing. ‘And I had the perfect timing, dude, you’d starve if it weren’t for me, your fringe is empty save for the beer.’

Jaehyun cringes. He has a complicated relationship with cooking, always had, hence he orders ready meals from special companies. Like that he doesn’t waste time on going grocery shopping and cooking, he can just heat up whatever there is in the container and eat. Since Chenle left not once Jaehyun did enter the kitchen with a purpose of cooking himself an actual meal.

‘I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a long time, but always got distracted. When are you planning to change your passcode to the flat?’

Yukhei wasn’t looking at his friend, but he knew that Jaehyun froze and his expression turned cold. Wong never really knew how to go around the topic of Chenle and after months of just avoiding to talk about he decided to start from the most simple question. Jaehyun didn’t say anything for a while, staring at the beer in his hand before saying something about how he just forgot to change his passcode.

‘Then why not change it now?’ Yukhei presses, blinking at him innocently. He already grabbed one bottle of beer from the fridge and now was opening all of the takeout cases.

Jaehyun grits his teeth and prays not to snap. He knows exactly what Yukhei is doing and he’s not going to fall into carefully laid down trap. Keeping his expression composed, Jaehyun walks to the corridor and stops right next to a big screen on the wall. He enters passcode and then presses ‘change password’, feeling something tighten in his chest. A current passcode is the date of Chenle’s birthday. Jaehyun put it long time ago, when he was in love and stupid. He really should have changed it once he broke off toxic relationship, but for some reason he never did; entering Chenle’s birthday every single time he came home became a habit, something that still connected him to the boy who broke his heart and… And it was pathetic. Jaehyun had no idea what Yukhei thought of him for still keeping the same passcode, but he doubted it was anything nice. Swallowing, Jaehyun changed the passcode to the date when he was given a raise and became a manager in SC.

‘Done.’ He announces and tries to act as nonchalantly as possible, but of course Yukhei calls him out on his bullshit immediately. ‘Yukhei, I’m not really in a mood to talk about it.’

‘You’ve never talked about it!’ His friend exclaims, almost knocking down his beer in the process. ‘I didn’t want to press and I still don’t want to do that, but Jae, it’s been almost four months and you’re still moping and I can’t turn blind eye on it anymore.’

‘You say like four months is enough to get over someone you loved,’ Jaehyun spits out and cringes at his tone. He clears his throat when Yukhei says nothing and adds in a much gentler voice: ‘I don’t know what you want me to say.’

‘Just say what you feel, what you’re going through. What’s on your mind.’ Yukhei shrugs and moves his portion of spicy noodles with vegetables to Jaehyun’s side along with chopsticks. ‘I just want you to talk.’

Jaehyun’s silent for few minutes, taking bites of offered food. Yukhei also doesn’t say a thing, patiently waiting. Jung tries to put his thoughts together, create a logical chain of everything he’s feeling but it doesn’t work; he only ends up being smothered by all of the memories, good and bad. Taking a deep breath, he leans on the counter right in front of Yukhei.

‘He broke my heart.’ He says and hopes that his voice doesn’t falter. ‘I loved him-’

‘Or you thought that you loved him,’ Yukhei interrupts and when Jaehyun glares, he raises his arms in surrender. ‘What? He was lying to you for all the time you two were dating, so you didn’t love him, you just fell in love with the image he created.’

Jaehyun didn’t argue with that. From a rather young age he understood that being from a famous family created certain problem in terms as people viewed him; some tried to get close to him in order to learn more about his company, some tried to befriend simply because of his ‘fame’ and others loved him because he his bank account was rather impressive. Learning how to filter people and see right through them, understanding their intentions as early as possible was a skill that Jaehyun treasured and used the most. The older he got, the more prominent all of the talks about him being an eligible bachelor became. Yukhei outright laughed, when he learned that Jaehyun went to dates with someone chosen by his mother. (‘Is she going to control every aspect of your love life? Down right to the poses in which you have sex?’ He asked, snickering when Jaehyun punched his shoulder in retaliation. Jaehyun could have told his mother to stop and he tried to do that discreetly many times, but he knew that his mother was worried because of his disability. She thought he’s not going to find himself a mate if he can’t smell them. ‘Bullshit, liking each other’s scents doesn’t guarantee happiness.’ Yukhei scoffed when Jae told him everything. While Jung did think the same as his friend, he did not want to upset his mother. ‘I’ll go just one last time and then I’m done,’ he said, rubbing his temples. Just one last time.)

And at that last time he met Chenle. Pretty and outgoing, that boy plastered himself on Jaehyun from the first meeting. Yukhei and Seulgi liked to joke that Chenle practically bulldozed into Jaehyun’s life without asking for permission and that was the truth. Jaehyun was used to omegas throwing themselves onto him in hopes that their sweet scents will appeal to him, because no one knew about anosmia apart from few people who kept their mouthes shut. Jaehyun was used to people pretending to be someone else, wanting to make him fall in love. And Jaehyun was very used to people backing off once he told no. But Chenle didn’t understand the concept of ‘no’ and didn’t take it for an answer; maybe that’s why he caught alpha’s attention. To be with Chenle was like to sit on a time-bomb - always on the edge, without knowing when it will blow up. His temper got the best of him in many moments, but omega was sweet when he wanted to be and challenged Jaehyun in practically anything. Maybe it was the thrill of it, maybe Chenle really did sneak up into his heart, but Jaehyun found himself falling deeper in love with the boy, who also claimed that their scents were extremely compatible. Chenle smelled like firewood and he always whined when Jaehyun didn’t comment on his scent in any way. Omega slowly but surely tried to put the idea of them being destined mates into alpha’s head. (‘You two are not destined mates!’ Seulgi shook her head, when Jaehyun shared his worries. ‘Jae, please, believe me! It’s not about compatibility of scents, have you skipped all biology lessons in the school?’ Jaehyun felt miserable. He couldn’t smell anyone and he won’t ever know if someone is his destined mate or not. He feared he was upsetting Chenle with the lack of enthusiasm on his part and Seulgi looked like she’s about to smack him hard with the book she was holding. ‘You should really listen to Yukhei when it comes to this whole topic of destined mates,’ she advised, sitting next to him. ‘And you know why? Because he’s right when he says it’s not fully about scent. Jae, you’ll feel it, I’m 100% sure in that. Maybe for you it will work through touch or through something else, but you will feel it and if you didn’t feel a thing for Chenle even though you’ve been dating for six months and you spent his heat with him… Jae, he’s not your destined mate. It doesn’t mean that you should break up, no, stay together if you love one another, but I’m gonna be honest, I’m very suspicious over how he tries to push this whole theme onto you.’)

‘Or maybe you didn’t love him at all,’ Yukhei adds in an afterthought. ‘Not that I’m somehow belittling your feelings, but just Chenle was different from anyone you’ve seen before and you got infatuated with him real quick. Maybe even too quickly for someone so rational.’

‘You never liked him,’ Jaehyun says without any bitterness. Surprisingly, discussing his ex-boyfriend didn’t hurt as much as he thought it would. It’s been almost four months and maybe time did heal, after all.

‘He was shady,’ Yukhei shook his head in disapproval. ‘But he wasn’t outright bad and you looked happy, so you know, who am I to ruin it?’

‘I was happy,’ Jung looks down at his cold noodles and then turns up to meet his friend’s gaze. ‘He made me happy.’

Chenle made Jaehyun smile; he whined cutely for him to hurry up and come home, he cooked for him, listened to his worries. Chenle looked at him like he was in love, like Jaehyun was the one for him and maybe this was what alpha craved at that time. For someone to need him, to depend on him. For someone to cuddle with at rainy nights, watching some rom-com. For someone with who gentle kisses turned into frenzy, hungry touches. For someone who made him feel like he was absolutely normal, like he could have normal life even if he wasn’t normal, not really.

‘And someone else will make you happy again,’ Yukhei’s low voice woke him up from his memories. ‘Jae, you didn’t even tell him about anosmia and he lied about being omega - your relationship was built on lies. You will have a better one, that’s for sure.’

Chenle made Jaehyun furious. When he learned about pills, about his boyfriend actually being a beta, about all of the relationship being fake from the start. Who knew that they were pills out there for imitating heat? Jaehyun couldn’t believe that someone would go that far just to get their hands on a one of rich bachelors. (‘ _Are you insane?!_ These pills are extremely dangerous! Was it worth it? Was it worth poisoning your body every single four months just so you can pretend to be an omega? So you can live off my money?’ Jaehyun wasn’t screaming but his voice could cut steel. Chenle was standing in front of him, crying and trembling, shaking his head and mumbling something about his feelings being real. ‘Nothing about you or our relationship is real. God, is Chenle even your real name?!’)

‘I still can’t believe he did that,’ Jaehyun confessed, anger rising in his throat. ‘He brought so much damage to his body with these pills and- and the worst thing is- _fuck_.’

His voice broke and Yukhei stepped to his side, wrapping his one arm around his waist. Jaehyun didn’t lean for a hug, clenching his fist and trying to reign all of his emotions back under his control. Yukhei simply stayed, watching how his friend battled with his emotions and tightened his grip on him.

‘He did it all for nothing, because I’m an alpha who fucking can’t smell shit,’ Jaehyun lets out, finally voicing what has been eating him up inside. ‘All of these pills to enhance another scent, when I don’t even-’

‘Don’t take responsibility for this.’ Yukhei says sternly. ‘It was completely his decision and he knew exactly what he was doing. It’s _not_ on you, none of it is. Chenle is not worth it, Jae.’

Jaehyun’s chest falls rapidly up and down until he calms down. Yukhei’s arm around his waist grounds him and he sighs, tiredly rubbing his eyes. Jung has never good with emotions, they lack logic and are for too complicated and unreasonable, so any emotional battle takes away all of his energy.

‘Is this why you came? To watch me almost lose it in front of you?’ Jaehyun asks jokingly, turning to his friend. ‘You probably hoped you could eat your Chinese takeout in peace.’

‘I’m just glad you talked about Chenle, even a little,’ Yukhei replies and squeezes Jaehyun before returning to his place. ‘Everything’s gone cold, I’m gonna heat up. Should I do yours too?’ When Jaehyun nods he takes both their plates and walks to microwave. ‘Oh and in other lighter news, have you met your new finance guy? The one Irene was raving about? I heard he passed all of the tests with flying colors and that never happened before.’

‘Right, fuck, no, I didn’t,’ Jaehyun groans. ‘I was at the office around eight in the morning, finishing presentation. I was too busy, but I will talk with him tomorrow. As I understood he’s already met up with the team and Boa.’

‘I heard he’s quite attractive too,’ Yukhei says, bringing Jaehyun his plate and putting his own into microwave.

‘Are you listening to rumors at work instead of actually working?’ Jaehyun teases. ‘And who said so anyway?’

‘I mainly heard it from Joy’ Jaehyun scoffs, because _of course_ it would be from Joy, ‘..But some girls in the corridors were also talking about him. Are you happy that you they finally found you someone to cover the financial part?’

Jaehyun nods. His team really needs a good accountant or financial controller and when Irene told him about new guy he was so relieved. Jaehyun’s interest is piqued because no one passed all of the tests that good, so he’s looking forward for meeting new addition to his team tomorrow.

‘I met someone today, by the way,’ he says once Yukhei comes back with reheated food. ‘When I was walking out of IT room. There was this guy-’

 _‘Oooh!’_ Yukhei wiggles his eyebrows. ‘Why you didn’t say anything from the start? Our evening should have started from this!’

‘For god’s sake,’ Jaehyun shakes his head in exasperation. ‘It’s not like _that_!’

‘Sure-sure,’ Yukhei agrees and Jaehyun throws chopsticks at him. ‘I’m sorry, I’m listening, please continue.’

‘Well, there’s nothing really to tell,’ Jaehyun suddenly feels stupid for even mentioning it. ‘Just… you know, it was weird. He looked at me like he saw a ghost and…’

‘And?’ Yukhei prompts, leaning closer.

 _And for a split second I thought I smelled something_. But Jaehyun says nothing out loud. He knows very well that a mind can play tricks on you: sometimes he can think that he smells meat when he’s out on a barbecue, when in fact the smells gets conjured from his memories, so it’s not real. That usually happens when he’s in direct contact with food though, which is exactly the reason of Jaehyun’s bewilderment. He sees guy’s face in his head, how wide his eyes were opened, how he was clutching on his laptop and staring at alpha like-

‘Hello? Earth to Jaehyun! Damn, is he that handsome that you’re like that?’ Yukhei waves his head in front of his friend’s face, making him scowl. ‘And so? You two talked? No? Wait, so nothing happened?’

‘I don’t know why I started talking about this, I’m way too tired,’ Jaehyun mumbles and Yukhei narrows his eyes but shrugs. ‘You staying? For the night?’

Yukhei nods and Jaehyun nods back, discreetly being happy. He wouldn’t have liked staying completely alone after what they talked about. They finish up and Jaehyun gives his friend comfortable clothes and new toothbrush.

‘I’ll go and dream about an angel I saw today,’ Yukhei says in a dreamy tone.

‘He’s a barista, his name tag was literally _right there_ and you still didn’t get his name, I can’t believe it.’ Jaehyun shakes his head and laughs when Yukhei whines loudly at it.

‘I’m gonna get him!’ Yukhey says confidently, going to the guest room.

‘Sure you will,’ Jaehyun nods and chuckles when his friend shouts at him to not mock him. ‘I’m not mocking you, Xuxi, stop being such a nuisance and go to sleep.’

Yukhei shouts something that Jaehyun doesn’t catch, because he closes the door to his room. Although sadness did not magically disappear, it faded into the background, replaced with a lighter feeling. Jaehyun walks to the bathroom, thinking about Chenle and a guy he saw today. His thoughts then focus on a new guy in his team - Lee Taeyong - who he will have to meet tomorrow. Jaehyun brushes his teeth when loud bang resonates from the guest room, making him flinch. It takes Yukhei exactly one minute to burst into Jung’s room with widely opened eyes.

‘What the-’

‘ _I got the idea_! I will go to Starbucks tomorrow and I’m gonna meet him and I will ask him to help me with the project and-’

‘You have three seconds to get out before I’m gonna strangle you with my bare hands.’ Jaehyun says, spitting in the sink. ‘One, two-’

‘I’m out!’ Yukhei shouts, running from Jaehyun’s room with a loud cry.

Corners of Jaehyun’s lips lift up on their own accord and he ends up softly chuckling to himself. Looking at his reflection in the mirror he realizes that he’s lost some weight and his skin tone is uneven and dull. Yukhei’s words ring in his head: ‘ _Chenle is not worth it, Jae._ ’

‘He’s right,’ he mumbles, reaching out for the towel. ‘Chenle’s not worth it.’

That night for the first time in two months Jaehyun falls asleep without depressing thoughts eating him out alive.

+-+

Xiaojun whimpered at the loss, when Hendery pulled out one finger from inside him. Beta always teased, edged his omega friend until he turned him into a writhing mess underneath his hands. Without giving any warning or a sign, Hendery pushed two fingers knuckles deep into Xiaojun’s leaking hole. Omega sighed in pleasure and tried to start rocking his hips, but other boy’s hold on him prevented from doing so.

‘More,’ Xiaojun whispered, feverish. He always got like that during heats and Hendery knew that damn well, but still made him ask and beg for more. ‘Please, I need-’

‘What do you need?’ Beta was looking at him almost mockingly, curling fingers inside just right, watching in amusement as omega underneath him arched his back with a small cry. ‘You gotta use words baby, how else I’m supposed to understand what you need?’

Despite acting calm and collected Xiaojun knew that Hendery was just as affected as him; his manhood was pressing urgently in omega’s leg and he dared to move, giving beta friction that he probably wanted, but a loud smack on his thighs made him stop. Milky skin immediately turned blaring red and Hendery cooed, running his palm soothingly over the place he slapped. Having Xiaojun like that was exhilarating; the power he had over smaller omega ran through his veins, making him almost delirious with it. Xiaojun always was oh so gentle, so soft-spoken and Hendery loved to ruin him during his heats, loved watching the sweet innocence turn into overpowering lust.

‘Please, more,’ Xiaojun’s voice was hoarse. His eyes closed on their own accord, when beta leaned in, his nose grazing a column of his throat. ‘Hendery…’

‘What?’ He asked, taking a deep breath and almost purring at the sweet scent of cotton candy that hit his nostrils. ‘You want more of what? My fingers? Want me to add one more?’ Xiao eagerly nodded and beta smirked, giving in and pushing one more finger inside his friend’s hole. ‘So loose, I don’t even have to stretch you out.’

Although it was true and all had to do with Xiaojun being in heat and his body generating slick, omega still felt rush of embarrassment. He whined pitifully, covering his face with his hands and barely keeping himself from shouting at the added finger. Hendery was moving slow, all three fingers grazing his prostate but not quite touching it, driving omega mad. When beta removed his hand from Xiaojun’s hips he watched in awe as omega started rocking, fucking himself on Hendery’s fingers and he could have cum just from this image alone.

‘Well look at you, wanting to get off from my fingers like a slut,’ he muttered, hearing Xiao’s protesting whine. ‘Oh, what is it? You don’t want to be called a slut?’ Omega shook his head and Hendery jammed his fingers harder, smirking at the loud whine from the other boy. ‘But your screams tell another story, baby.’

Xiaojun shut his eyes and clapped his mouth shut with his hands, letting out only muffling sounds. He could feel orgasm approaching, hot heat coiling in his belly, his toes curling. Hendery covered his naked body with his own - fully clothed - and licked the shell of omega’s ear.

‘Do you want to finish, Junnie? Wanna cum?’ He whispered and Xiao swallowed, nodding. ‘Aw, baby, I don’t understand that. You know you gotta use words, remember?’

Removing his hands from his mouth Xiao took a deep breath, almost choking on his own sweet scent. He didn’t sense Hendery’s scent and for a second that upset him so much before all of the thoughts were erased from his mind with a force of a sudden orgasm. He came with Hendery’s fingers in his ass and his lips on his, swallowing his cries of pleasure. The sight of Xiaojun after orgasm was mesmerizing and Hendery couldn’t look away. He didn’t remove his fingers either, waiting for omega to calm down from the high before he could continue on.

‘Felt good, Junnie?’ He asked in a sweet voice that was drastically different from how he talked mere seconds ago. Xiao smiled, looking up at his friend with affection and nodded. ‘Did your fever break?’

‘Not really,’ omega’s voice halted in the end and Hendery wordlessly handed him bottle of water that lay on the floor. When Xiao took few sips he moved his fingers inside him and omega cried out, sensitive from the orgasm. He knew he’s more than ready for another round thanks for the heat, but still. ‘Hendery!’

‘Lie down.’ The command in his voice was obvious and Xiao sighed, resting his back against their old sofa. ‘Just like that. You think I’m done with you, baby?’

Hendery removed his t-shirt and looked down at the sweaty body underneath him. Xiaojun looked like a work of art and he could stare at him for hours without getting bored. His own manhood was screaming for any kind of relief, but Hendery pushed that thought away - he has to break Xiao’s fever first. He again carefully laid himself on top of omega, making sure their bodies aligned. His fingers easily slipped inside his friend again and Xiaojun smiled, already used to the feeling.

‘You know what else would have felt really good, Junnie?’ He asked in a whisper, his other hand drawing circles on Xiao’s hip. He wanted to try this for a long and only now had the courage to voice out his thoughts: ‘If we had Winwinnie with us.’

Xiaojun’s breath hitched and he froze. In the silence of their dorm they both could hear how loud his heart was beating and he couldn’t hide how his dick twitched at the idea. Hendery’s growing smirk made him realize his blown pupils didn’t go unnoticed as well and Xioajun groaned, turning his face away from beta.

‘You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Have you already thought about it? Of our precious Winwinnie here with us, sharing your heat, helping you through it?’

Omega whimpered, ashamed. He felt bad for having these kind of thoughts, for imagining their mutual friend in such a compromising position, but his body already reacted and he couldn’t help it. Hendery was barely concealing his excitement, starting to slowly grind his erection on omega’s hips. Rough material of the denim sent shivers up Xiao’s spine, his skin burning from sensations. His hands gripped Hendery’s shoulder as beta continued to whisper into his ear: ‘Tell me what did you imagine, Junnie. Did you want him to fuck you? Pound into you with his cock?’ Xiaojun whined loudly, his hole clenching around beta’s fingers. ‘Oh, so that’s what you want. Want our Winwinnie to fuck you silly? Is that it?’ Xiaojun nodded, gasping at the feeling of beta grinding on him fully clothed. His own dick was getting much needed friction from the contact with Hendery’s abs. ‘And he’d be so good in that, wouldn’t he? I bet his dick is so pretty, just like the rest of him. He can fuck you and you can suck me off, what do you think, Junnie? Think you’ll be able to do that?’

The images played in omega’s mind and he nodded. Hendery’s fingers started moving inside of him and he arched his back, gasping at the friction and at the way beta bit his earlobe, licking into the shell of his ear. Xiaojun was burning up from the heat and shame of getting hard from thinking this way about their friend, but _god_ , he knew it’d be good, it’d be _perfect_ if tall beta was with them now-

‘Winwin,’ he let out and Hendery groaned, pressing with his fingers on omega’s bundle of nerves.

‘Yeah, our Winwinnie,’ Hendery’s voice was sharp just like his movements. ‘He’s ours, isn’t he? Our precious angel.’

Omega mumbled in agreement, clutching on Hendery’s shoulders hard. A contrast of how sweet Hendery called Winwin with what they actually were doing while thinking of him made Xiao’s breathing stutter. He was trying to say something, but all he could do was just moan loudly, when beta started leaving small bites on his neck. Hendery was trembling above him, his grip on Xiao’s hip bruising as he continued to grind.

‘Want him to fuck you, want him to throw you around like some rag doll,’ he let out, not controlling what he was saying at all, baring his dirtiest fantasies to omega. ‘And you’d love that, you’d beg for him- _God_ , Junnie, he’d smell so _fucking_ good-’

Xiaojun cried out, feeling tears prickling his eyes. His throat tightened at the mention of a scent and he could swear he could taste it on his tongue; he pictured how heady would Winwin’s scent get, how strong, how he would fuck into Xiaojun so hard and rough but cradle his head so gently-

‘Close,’ he muttered and Hendery nodded, working his fingers faster inside him. ‘So, so close, I’m-’

‘Let it go, baby, c’mon,’ Hendery urged him on and bit his neck when Xiao shouted, cumming for the second time untouched, painting his and Hendery’s stomach with white spurts. H

is hole made a slurping sound when Hendery extracted his fingers and omega whined at the loss, blinking lazily. He registered soft cursing and how beta was finally taking his clothes off, but his post-orgasmic haze made it hard to concentrate.

‘I’m borrowing your underwear,’ Hendery announced, throwing away his in disgust. ‘Can’t believe I came in my jeans like a freaking teenager. How’s the fever, Junnie?’

Xiao opened his eyes and reached out for the bottle of water, chugging it all down. He shook his head and smiled tiredly. ‘I think it’s broke. My skin’s not burning up.’

Hendery caressed his thighs and smiled. ‘Yeah, it’s not hot to the touch. Wanna eat? Or bathroom first?’

Beta was amazing at caring and looking after omega during his heat. Xiaojun always felt so good and safe with him, knowing that their friendship won’t ever be compromised because of this. He gestured towards the bathroom and Hendery nodded, gingerly helping Xiao to stand up.

‘When are you planning to let Kun help you through your heats?’ Hendery asked, leading omega to the shower cabin.

‘When are you planning to make a move on Ten?’ Xiaojun countered and beta sighed, muttering _touché_ under his breath.

‘I think he’s still trying to get Winwin,’ Hendery said and at the mention of their friend’s name Xiao blushed, ducking his head. ‘I don’t know if I should do something. But you’re in different situation, Kun wants you and only you. I think he’s been waiting enough.’

Xiao bit his lower lip, nodding. Kun always was attentive to omega, but lately he started to make his feelings very clear. Xiaojun was scared, because he’s never been with an alpha, but he liked Kun and wanted to try; his shyness was getting the best of him and he couldn’t let handsome alpha know that he feels the same.

‘About…’ Omega sighed in pleasure, when Hendery adjusted the temperature and warm water ran over his body. He swallowed and tried again: ‘About what you said, when we were..’

‘About Winwin?’ Hendery asked and Xiaojun nodded, turning beet red. ‘It made you uncomfortable? I’m sorry, I thought that- I mean, your reaction was-’

‘It didn’t make me uncomfortable,’ Xiaojun interrupted, moving a bit so Hendery can have more space. ‘I just…’ he trailed off, not knowing if he can say that.

Hendery gave him a reassuring squeeze and hugged him from behind. ‘You want it?’ His voice sounded way more calm than omega’s. ‘Just tell me how it is, Xiao. You want Winwin to join us during your next heat? Or you want to spend it just with Winwin?’

‘No-no, I want you there too!’ Xiao quickly replied and could feel Hendery’s smile on his shoulder and that made him smile back, relaxing. ‘I want you and Winwin. He..’

‘He’d be amazing,’ Hendery finished and Xiao nodded, putting his hands on beta’s arms that were wrapped around him. ‘I want him there too. You two would look so hot together.’

‘Hendery!’ Xiaojun lightly slapped his arm, making beta chuckle.

‘What? It’s true.’ Hendery wanted to tease omega a bit more, but then decided against it, instead turning serious. ‘Do you want me to tell him? We can all talk about it in few months, when your heat will start again.’

‘I’m not sure,’ Xiaojun worried his bottom lip, voice small. ‘What if he- you know how he was raised. What if he thinks that we are disgusting? What if he stops being friends with us?’

Hendery was silent. He knew that this was a possibility, a really tiny one, but still. However, Winwin knew about him helping Xiao through heat and he never reacted negatively. ‘We’ll see then.’ He said and Xiaojun tensed up before relaxing again. ‘Don’t worry about it now, Xiao. We’ll get to it when time comes.’

Omega nodded and sighed happily, when beta started washing his back. They washed up in silence, exchanging kisses back and forth. When they finished Hendery handed him fluffy towel and smiled at the delight on Xiao’s face.

‘My baby,’ he said fondly, ruffling omega’s head. Hendery’s chest was so full of love he feared it might overflow. ‘Let’s go and eat something.’

Xiaojun nodded and they tumbled from the bathroom, wrapped in each other. Hendery’s mind drifted off to the thought of how good it’d be to have Winwin with them right now; he’d probably would have been already in the kitchen, looking at them fondly, mumbling something about having the clingiest friends. His scent would surround their dorm, reminding Xiao of his summers with grandma and Hendery of his hometown. This image made him grip Xiaojun tighter, smiling.

‘Stop treating me like a baby!’ Xiao laughed, when beta tried to feed him.

‘You are my baby though!’ Hendery argued, also laughing. He stared at omega and quietly added with a bit of hesitance: ‘You and Winwinnie are my babies.’

Xiaojun froze and stared at his friend with unreadable expression. He slowly reached out and took beta’s hand in his, giving it a light squeeze.

‘Winwinnie is…ours, right?’ Xiaojun whispered, looking like the answer might break him. Hendery immediately understood that there was something more in this question, something more important. ‘Right?’

‘Yeah, Junnie,’ Hendery replied, throat suddenly tight with emotion as he swallowed thickly. ‘Winwinnie is ours. Our precious little angel.’

‘Okay,’ Xiaojun hummed and then sighed happily, turning around to cook them instant ramen. His scent intensified but not in a sexual way; with smile Hendery realized that omega’s scent strengthened with happiness and satisfaction. Good, Hendery thought. The only way to make this moment perfect would be to have Winwin with them, also smelling like content and delight wrapped in one. Hendery hoped that one day it’d happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PHEW.,, can we please all clap for the fact that we finally got everyone's past down? we did it, time for some action!!  
> BUT also this is literally 10 pages in word doc like im-
> 
> long chapter notes ahead:
> 
> 1\. if you were surprised with little smut scene...i...really...thought i made it kinda obvious that hendery and xiaojun are whipped?? for winwin??? so i don't think it should have came out as a big surprise, but listen, im so sorry if that made anyone uncomfortable!!!! :/ (yay for me for writing smut without penetration!! :D)  
> 2\. as my ass loves astrology, i checked jaehyun's placements he just...seems like such a complicated person to me lmao .., but also if you don't really understand his character, i'll try to open him up more in later chapters!!  
> 3\. as always come and talk to me or request an imagine/one-shot with wayv members on my tumblr (http://sentimentaals.tumblr.com)  
> 4\. i also hope i'm not boring you with details about anosmia and project of yukhei and future jae's project :( 
> 
> anyone who commented on the last chapters - i seriously would like to give you the tightest hug because you all made me so happy :(  
> let me know what you think (if you wanna scream about last scene that just happened out of nowhere...please do!!!!)! any guesses what gonna happen in the next chapter? ;)


	5. what are you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong meets Jaehyun and chaos ensues.

Taeyong didn’t sleep well; he kept tossing and turning, sighing so loud that at some point Sicheng shouted at him from another room to just keep quiet. Omega spent whole night overthinking, and while part of it was because of his new position and new people he’s met, mostly he kept replaying all of the details of his very short meeting with Mr.Jung in his head. He didn’t tell a thing to his roommate, who no doubt noticed that something was gnawing his friend, but decided to keep his mouth shut, knowing that Taeyong will come out at his own time. Lee was thankful for that kind of mindfulness but he also wished Sicheng would have just pressured him a bit and asked, because then Taeyong would have told everything; he was afraid of sounding paranoid and didn’t want to look like a total fool in front of his friend. Lee was too occupied with his worries to notice time running and when he finally managed to succumb to sleep it was around five in the morning. That sleep didn’t even last long, only for thirty minutes, because an idea suddenly came into his mind. Taeyong thought everything through and decided that if he didn’t want to sound paranoid then he needs to test his own theory. Even thinking that he and Mr.Jung can possibly be destined mates has him reeling, but he needs to be sure. Omega’s plan was very simple: he’s going to use his old suppressants - they strongest one in the market - and will confidently go to the meeting with his manager. If same symptoms as last time will occur then whole theory about Mr.Jung potentially being his destined mate will be true. And if not, then his body is being weird due to different pills he’s taking and he’ll go to the doctor. At seven in the morning Taeyong is wide awake, trying to hide dark circles under his eye with concealer. He tries to act like everything is normal and pushes all the thoughts about his manager as far to the back of his mind as he only can. Lee is nervous, almost jittery and of course once Sicheng is awake he notices it on the spot.

‘Is everything okay?’ He asks, voice laced with worry.

‘Just nervous, I guess,’ Taeyong replies and by the way his roommate purses his lips he knows that Sicheng didn’t believe him so omega quickly changes the subject. ‘It’s Tuesday, why are you up so early? You don’t have classes in the morning today.’

‘Dance practice for New Year show,’ Sicheng replies, watching his friend closely. He hovers close to Taeyong’s room and hesitantly adds: ‘You know that I can- I mean…’

‘Yeah?’ Taeyong looks up from the mirror and smiles encouragingly at beta. ‘What is it?’

Sicheng frowns, looking down. He’s trying to find the right words and when he can’t, he sighs in frustration and just mumbles: ‘I’m here if you need me’ and disappears into his own room, not hearing Taeyong’s loud ‘ _aww Sichengie!_ ’. Taeyong stands with a dumb smile, thinking about his cute roommate and then hurriedly stumbles to the kitchen. Yesterday Irene gave him scent blockers that are mandatory and now he chugs two pills down. Strong suppressants and scent blockers - omega is ready to show middle finger to the fate. He’s definitely not backing down without a little fight.

The thing is - Taeyong is not against destined mates. He’s not a fan, but not an avid hater either; he can’t deny how romantic everything seems to be about destined mates, but he also has seen enough couples that were happy without it, to know that he doesn’t really need a destined mate in order to be happy. With all the shit and prejudice that’s thrown onto omegas daily, Taeyong really doesn’t like the idea of fate choosing his partner for him - he is perfectly capable of doing so himself, thank you very much. Besides, the percentage of destined mates is really low and Taeyong can’t be _that_ lucky, right? It just can’t be that his destined mate would be a manager in the company, where omega Taeyong pretends to be beta. It’s like fate says: ‘ _You didn’t ask for it, but here you go! Good luck with trying to figure this shit out!_ ’ and in his five years old plan (that Taeyong created when he was twenty in order to set up a direction for his life, because he is a responsible adult) there is no place for a destined mate or any drama, really. Lee just wants a peaceful life with a good career and someone to spend heats with. It’s not too much ask, is it?

With thoughts like that occupying his mind omega reaches his work. A complete neutrality of the scents makes him frown but then he shakes his head and proceeds on the fifth floor. He feels confident that he doesn’t smell like anything and when passing by people don’t even spare him a glance his confidence only grows. Omega has a whole day ahead of learning more about his new case and he’s excited; new challenges always make him jittery. Politely nodding to anyone he sees, Taeyong walks to his place and smiles as he sees all windows being wide open.

‘See? I talked with managers and everyone agreed that it smells like death here, so now windows will be open until it gets cold.’ Joy jumps in front of him, looking very pleased with herself. ‘I told how pale you got and Irene agreed that we need to buy new humidifiers. How was your first day?’

Taeyong is a bit taken back by the sheer energy the girl in front of him has, but he smiles nevertheless. ‘It was good, thank you. I hope I will be able to quickly grasp everything and jump into the case.’

‘Ah, Boa snuggled herself a responsible one,’ Joy chuckles and leans closer, batting her long eyelashes. ‘You know that if anything you can come to me, yeah? I will show you-’

‘Get off a poor boy, you’re scaring him and it’s only his second day here!’ Wendy playfully smacks Joy’s shoulder and smiles up at Taeyong. ‘Hey there. Yesterday I put all the docs regarding the case and our client on your table. You can have a read and at three we have a team meeting. I’ll come and pick you up.’

Joy pouts and Taeyong tries to offer her a small smile to which she quickly response with a one of her own. ‘Alright, I’ll see you later!’

Wendy follows cheerful girl with her eyes and then turns to Taeyong, shaking her head. ‘Don’t encourage her with those smiles if you don’t want receive an invitation to dinner next.’

‘Oh.’ Taeyong’s eyes widen. ‘I didn’t- I didn’t mean to-’

‘I know,’ Wendy interrupts. ‘That’s why I’m saying this. Just giving you a heads up. By the way my place is on the right, I sit next to Haechan. You can come up to us anytime with questions, don’t be shy. Also, I wanted to ask if I can have your number? I want to add you to all the groups we have about this project, so you won’t be left out.’

Taeyong nods, shyly handing his phone to Wendy. Yesterday he got to know the guys just a bit, but he could already tell that they were rather close. He hoped he could fit into their little circle and maybe become friends too. Wendy smiled, giving him his phone back.

‘Are you going to have a meeting with Mr.Jung today?’ She asks and Taeyong nods. ‘Can you please bring him this report? I’m working only half of a day today and I won’t see him after lunch.’

‘Sure,’ Taeyong takes a document, swallowing at the mention of his manager. ‘I’ll see him in an hour.’

‘Don’t look so nervous,’ Wendy laughs a little and waves at Jungwoo, who shouts his greetings to them. ‘It’s going to be fine.’

Taeyong thinks that it’s literally going to be anything _but_ fine, but he nods anyway. Wendy smiles and says few more encouraging words before going back to her place. Lee watches how Jungwoo puts her in a teasing headlock and how Wendy struggles to get out before Haechan steps in and helps her. Yeri stands not far from them, holding two cups of coffee and she nods to Taeyong, when their gazes meet and he nods back. She gives one cup to Wendy and rolls her eyes at Haechan’s loud ‘ _and me? what about me? does no one care about me in this group?_ ’ and then Jungwoo answers with ‘ _yep! no one cares!_ ’ making everyone laugh at Haechan’s offended expression. They look cute, almost have a homely vibe to all their interactions and Taeyong wants to be part of it too. He promises to learn everything about the case and actually be a good help, so little time that he has before dreadful meeting with the manager, he spends with reading everything Wendy left for him. He has to make a work of industrial controller and that is not something omega is familiar with. Taeyong never in his life has been on any factory and he’s not familiar with usual processes. Before he knows his alarm, that he set up ten minutes before meeting with the manager, rings and he has to close the docs, mind swirling with all the new information. Taeyong rushes to the elevator and gingerly presses number 10 on the board, gulping. He has so many questions regarding his new job, but they all fade into the background as previous nervousness comes in full force. Omega clamps his mouth shut and squeezes his fingers together to prevent himself from biting his nails - a bad habit that he didn’t really get rid off. Elevators open with a loud ‘ding’ and Taeyong cautiously takes two steps, looking around. All he sees is a long corridor with doors on the sides and not a single soul to help him find needed room. Before going any further Taeyong discreetly sniffs - he doesn’t smell himself, meaning suppressants and scent blockers are working perfectly.

‘Are you lost?’ Taeyong jumps, looking up and seeing tall and glum looking man. He walks out of one of the doors and raises his eyebrow, obviously waiting for Taeyong to respond.

‘I’m looking for Mr.Jung,’ he answers and bows low. ‘I’m Lee Tae-’

‘Turn to the right by the end of the corridor, first room is his,’ man answers and walks past him to the elevator.

Taeyong blinks and feels annoyance prickling in the back of his mind but he shoots it down - now is no time to show his attitude. With hesitance Lee walks through the corridor, holding his breath. Unlike fifth floor, where all office walls are made of glass and you can see everyone and everything what’s going on, tenth floor has no open space, which makes him a bit uneasy. He sees cameras at every corner and his eyes catch the sighs of pretty plants near each door. It’s almost like general atmosphere is gloomier here, way more serious without any chatter that surrounds the fifth floor and he gulps. If Taeyong wouldn’t have been so nervous then he’d notice growing uneasiness in his body, but he only notices rigidness in his muscles once he turns to the right. Omega stares at the black door in front of him and takes a deep breath. All his prayers go unanswered as Taeyong certainly scents a gentle whiff of the same smell that had his knees growing weak - leather and something citrusy. He clenches his jaw, trying not to panic. _It’s all good, maybe Mr.Jung just forgot to take his scent blockers_ , he says to himself, listening closely to his body. _Please not now, don’t betray me like this_. He feels it: little spikes of tremor running down his spine, his body trying to fight suppressants and scent blockers, making his stomach churn uncomfortably. His temperature wasn’t changing rapidly and there were no signs of dizziness, so Taeyong was immensely grateful for picking the strongest suppressant that there only is on the market. Confidence was slowly returning as he didn’t feel like collapsing right here right now; he almost smiled, when door was roughly open and he stumbled in surprise at the sight of his manager. Mr.Jung clad in a navy suit - that was obviously tailored as it hugged his body _just right_ \- stands in front of of him with one eyebrow raised, looking very unimpressed.

‘For how long have you been planning to stand here?’ He asks and the sound of his voice makes hairs on Taeyong’s arms stand up.

‘I- what-’ Taeyong mumbles but then Mr.Jung motions to the camera right at the corner and realization dawns on omega that his manager saw him just standing outside his door like an idiot for almost five minutes. ‘Oh.’

‘Yeah, _oh_. Come in.’

Taeyong comes in and takes a deep breath-

He wasn’t prepared for it. He wasn’t prepared to be hit with intoxicating scent, wasn’t prepared for Mr.Jung to look straight at him with his piercing gaze, wasn’t prepared to have his hand engulfed in a handshake that almost made him shout from electricity that shot through his hand in the places they touched - T

hat was the exact moment Taeyong knew he fucked up. This touch sent off all of the alarms, broke little resistance that was left. His stomach churned and twisted, pain makes it hard to stand upright and with terror omega realizes that scent blockers and suppressants don’t work anymore - he can scent his own strawberry smell slowly leaking out. The reaction from the other party is instant; Jaehyun’s grip on Taeyong’s hand changes from a simple polite handshake of a co-worker to a possessive grip of an alpha - he moves his hand upward, circling his fingers around Taeyong’s wrist and squeezes. Mr.Jung nostrils flare and his eyes widen at first and then narrow, giving him dangerous look that sets omega off. Panic babbles in Taeyong’s chest and rises up his throat, he feels his palms getting sweaty and breath turning erratic. Everything inside him screams to run, to get out of this room right fucking now, but his legs are glued to the floor and he can’t seem to look away from his manager. Jaehyun’s eyes are locked with his and Taeyong sees milliard emotions in them, one changing another; alpha’s grip on his wrist was slowly starting to bruise as he gripped harder, taking a step closer. A sharp scent of leather invades omega’s lungs and there was no mistaking of lust in it; Taeyong couldn’t hold back a pathetic whimper that escaped his mouth before he squeezes his eyes shut.

‘What are you?’ It was a simple question, but it sounded more like a command.

Taeyong swallows. He opens his eyes, not daring to lift his head and meet alpha’s gaze - he’s too weak for that. Instead he tries to break free, but Jaehyun only pulls on his wrist harsher, his grip leaving dark blue prints on otherwise unblemished skin. A loud snarl that comes of the alpha makes omega cower, all of his instincts on high alert and Taeyong wants to fight them. He wants to be a stronger one, someone who is not a slave to the biology, because he isn’t, he was raised better than this- but every thought evaporates as soon as Jaehyun growls in a warning, not liking that his question is being ignored.

‘I..’ Taeyong wets his lips and swallows, trying to make his mind focus. It’s hard when Jaehyun is so close, when he smells _so freaking good_ , when Taeyong knows that if he looks up his face will be right next to his neck, where scent is saturated the most and he can just rise up a little on his toes and _lick_ \- he snaps back to reality, when grip on his wrist becomes too much. Instead of answering the question he gathers all his courage and mutters lowly: ‘You’re hurting me.’

The air between them crackles and Taeyong visible deflates when alpha steps back and lets go of his wrist. Lee doesn’t know why he feels disappointed, why he almost wants for a man in front of him to come and touch him again. Omega feels like he’s walking through a fog, trying to find the right path and failing miserably. His body reacts to the scent of his manager with a hot lance of arousal, making his skin so sensitive that all the places, where his shirt is touching his body, itches uncontrollably. Lee doesn’t dare to look up and lightly massages his wrist, staring down. He’s not sure he’s ready to see Mr.Jung’s expression, because he doesn’t know what he wants to see. Does he want alpha to acknowledge him as a destined mate? Because unless both of them have something seriously wrong going on with their bodies, then that’s what they are - destined mates, reacting one each other’s scent even through all of the suppressants and scent blockers. Does he want alpha to be a rational one and call him out for pretending to be a beta? Does he want to be pushed to the wall and fucked silly? Does he want to listen to a lecture how scents mean nothing and that destined mates are not real? Taeyong’s confused, afraid and very, _very_ panicked - anxiety level is dangerously close to shoot over the roof.

‘Get out.’ At first Taeyong doesn’t even register the words before Jaehyun repeats them, this time more forcefully and louder: ‘ _Get out_.’

Omega looks up, eyes wide with fear and hurt. Her certainly didn’t expect this. Jaehyun stands in front of him, hands clutched into fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. He looks up and Taeyong freezes in shock at the sight of a pure hatred in his eyes. There’s so much of it and omega’s chest constricts with hurt and pain. No one has ever looked at him with so much hatred and he’s confused, he didn’t do anything wrong, why-

‘Do you need me to use my alpha voice on you? To order you?’ Alpha asks and his voice is shaking with an obvious effort to restrain himself.

In any other occasion Taeyong would have appreciated this amount of self control, but right now he’s way more focused on a way Jaehyun’s chest rises and falls like he’s having a trouble breathing. Man in front of him looks like he’s on the verge of having a panic attack. Despite all the logic and despite being ordered to leave Taeyong takes a step closer, looking at the alpha with concern. Jaehyun’s face is paler than it’s been before and he roughly unties his tie, tearing the shirt roughly that the strength of it makes first two buttons fly across the room. Mr.Jung leans on his table with one hand, taking loud shallow breaths.

‘Are you ok-’ Taeyong starts and stops when alpha puts a hand between them, not letting him come any closer.

‘I said-’ Jaehyun wheezes out, gritting his teeth and motioning Taeyong to step back. ‘I told you to-’

‘But you are-’

‘Get the fuck **OUT**!’ Jaehyun shouts loudly and with one move he whips all the papers from his table, scattering it all over the floor.

Taeyong flinches like he’s been slapped. Alpha stares at him like he’s delirious, like Taeyong is guilty of all of the bad things and it hurts. Omega is surprised how much it pains him to hold this gaze, to take a step back and slowly come closer to the door, leaving alpha in such state. He turns, opens the door and feels tears blur his vision. It’s pathetic but Taeyong is ready to sit up and start downright bawling his eyes out, because of all of the pain in his chest. Omega steps out and carefully closes the door behind him. He steps to the side and leans on the wall, sliding down it a little. _Deep breath. One, two, three - exhale. Again, deep breath. One, two, three - exhale_. Taeyong tries to calm down and hopes to listen closely, so he can maybe hear what’s going on inside, but it seems that every room is soundproof and he hears nothing but the sound of his own ragged breathing. He stand sup on a wobbly legs and turns, hitting his head on the wall with a thud. Omega in him cries in distress; it wants to be next to his alpha, especially now, when it knows that alpha is hurting. It wants to be next to his mate, to calm down-

‘Hey, you alright?’ Taeyong jerks back and bumps into a tall man with big eyes.

He looks at him with worry and then he catches Taeyong’s scent and freezes, eyebrows rising and mouth forming a perfect ‘o’ shape. Taeyong’s gaze focuses on the document that man is holding, ‘for Wong Lucas’ written there in bold capital letters.

‘Mr.Wong,’ Taeyong manages, not looking up. ‘Mr.Jung there… he- you need to help him.’

Lucas’s eyes bulge out and he yanks the door open fast and then closes it with a loud smack, leaving omega all alone. Taeyong stands in an empty corridor and fights back tears threatening to spill. Why this hurts so much? He’s not a stranger to rejection but this one feels different, much more personal even if he doesn’t know Jaehyun at all. His chest is so tight, every breath he takes costs him so much energy and effort that omega focuses back on his breathing. He clears his mind, going blank for few minutes in order to access to the state of numbness; Kun taught him this years ago, when Taeyong first had his anxiety attack due to failing one course. After several tries he effectively shuts down all of his thoughts, concentrating on breathing in on the count of three and slowly exhaling. Rush of emotions dies down and Taeyong opens his eyes after several minutes, feeling a little bit calmer. He has enough of a common sense to text Wendy about a sudden emergency and enough luck that no one accompanies him on his elevator ride. Lee knows his scent is more muted now but it’s still here, but in an otherwise scentless place it will attract attention in a mere seconds. He uses fire exit that was shown to him yesterday during safety contact for newbies and quickly goes down the stairs, not pausing until he reaches back door. Taeyong pushes and when it opens he feels relief wash over him in a tidal wave; he’s free. Tall glass building is behind him now and omega doesn’t waste any more time, running towards the bus stop. With every step he takes away from the work he feels disappointment growing bigger in his chest, replacing fear. Jaehyun’s eyes filled with hate are on the back of his mind and he tries his best not to cry. At least not now, not when he’s surrounded by strangers. Omega ignores looks he gets in the bus due to his disheveled state and counts down minutes until he reaches his shared flat. He craves safety of a familiar place, wants to just bury himself under the covers and sleep till all the hurt is gone, till everything will seem like a bad dream. The second Taeyong enters the apartment he pulls off his shoes and goes straight to Sicheng’s room, falling on his unmade bed. Pillow, bedsheets, few clothes left on the bed - everything smells like his beta roommate and omega purrs, getting under the blanket in his work clothes, not caring about anything else. He closes his eyes in satisfaction once he found a comfortable position and takes a deep breath: smell of trees and grass calms him down better than any pill would. Taeyong lets one lonely tear escape his left eye and sniffs; his mother always told him to ‘ _sleep it off, you will realize everything is not so bad once you had a good nap_ ’. Omega closes his eyes and prays for it to be true.

+-+

‘Jae, please, follow my lead. Jaehyun, c’mon, please breathe with me.’

Yukhei cradles his friend’s head in his hand and tries to catch Jaehyun’s eyes but alpha stubbornly looks to the ground. Running fingers through Jung’s hair in a futile attempt to calm him down, Yukhei gets on his knees. It’s not the first time he has to witness his friend during a panic attack and he knows the algorithm of helping by heart, but it still doesn’t make any of easier. It’s hard to get his friend out of the state he’s in right now, hard to make him concentrate on something else. Jaehyun’s stubborn nature only makes everything worse and complicates things so much that usually Yukhei has no other option but to use his alpha voice. It’s always his last retort, but seeing as his friend is unreachable, this is exactly what he’s going to do. Wong’s hand slides to Jaehyun’s neck, gripping it roughly and forcing Jaehyun to look at him.

‘ _Get down_.’

His friend growls and snarls, reacting on the command from another alpha as predicted - with anger. He flinches and fists Yukhei’s collar, baring his teeth, ready to fight. Yukhei holds his ground, calmly staring back at Jaehyun, mindful to keep his facial expression neutral and his body unmoving to show that he’s not a threat. Jaehyun’s eyes are frantic, all of his instincts heightened because alpha voice was used on him. It takes Jung five seconds before he realizes who exactly is kneeling in front of him and then he sighs, removing his hand from Yukhei’s collar. He curses, stepping back and ungracefully dropping on a chair, closing his eyes. Yukhei doesn’t move two more minutes and lets himself loudly breathe out only when Jaehyun blind reaches out for him with his hand. Wong readily grips it in his and stands up.

‘Sorry.’ He clears his throat, always ashamed for using this dirty trick to get Jaehyun out of his panic attack, of that space. ‘You just zoned out and I couldn’t get to you otherwise. I had to use my alpha voice.’

‘I understand,’ Jaehyun opens his eyes and nods. ‘I’m sorry too, I didn’t mean to… you know.’ He gestures to the collar.

Yukhei grins. ‘If we weren’t best friends I would have definitely get turned with you getting all alpha on me. But unfortunately for you, I feel nothing but pure platonic love towards you, my friend.’

Jaehyun groans in exasperation, covering his eyes with his hands. ‘Fuck off!’

Yukhei chuckles and then starts picking up all of the papers that were scattered on the floor when he came in. Alpha has many questions, but he knows Jaehyun will open up once he processes everything on his own, so for now Yukhei is silent. He gathers all the docs and puts them carefully on the table. His nose picks up different scent in the room and he thinks of a boy he saw behind the door, who looked like he’s about to cry; both that boy and the room smell rather similar, but Yukhei can’t exactly pinpoint the scent. It’s something sweet, but not overly sugary, a bit sour an reminds him of-

‘You look like a dog, Yukhei, stop sniffing around.’

Jung stands up and talks towards the coach at the corner of the room. He looks worn out, tired and Wong can decipher anger and hurt in his scent. Once Jaehyun sits down he motions for his friend to join him too and Yukhei does, but first he walks towards little fridge next to the table and gets bottles of water from it.

‘You good?’ He asks, handing bottle to Jaehyun. When he receives little nod in response, Yukhei sits down on the other end of the couch, careful not to touch his friend. ‘Wanna tell me why it smells like that here? Why you had a sudden panic attack? Or if you don’t want to talk about it, we can just discuss details of the next meeting with board of directors.’ Jaehyun is silent and Wong tries again: ‘Or we can talk about why there was a boy standing behind your door, looking like he’ll burst into tears any second.’

 _That_ gets the reaction from his friend: Jaehyun’s whole body tenses up and he grips bottle in his hand, spilling some water on the couch. Understanding that he hit the nerve, Yukhei closes his mouth and reaches for tissues, wiping down the mess.

‘He was there?’ Jaehyun asks in a tight voice.

‘Where? You mean, behind your door? Yeah, he was leaning on the wall. He looked pretty shaken up and smelled kinda funny. I guess he forgot to take his scent blockers today.’

At those words Jaehyun turns to Yukhei, rising his eyebrow. ‘Smelled kinda funny? You couldn’t decipher his scent?’

‘No, not really.’ Yukhei frowns and looks around. ‘Should I have? To be honest this whole room smells like him. Is this what happened? You gave him a fright of his life because he forgot to put on some scent blockers? I mean I know it’s against our policies and everything, but maybe you should have go easier on that dude, he literally had tears in his eyes, Jae.’

Jaehyun’s lip twitches and he throws water bottle on the floor, ignoring the way Yukhei jumped out of surprise. ‘He thinks _he_ is the one who should cry?’

Jung darkly chuckles and turns to his friend. Whole situation is so absurd to him that he’d laugh if it was appropriate. He can’t think straight with all of the emotions clouding his logic and he feels too much at once - all feelings threaten to pile over and bring him down. Inside him is a huge mess, a web of confusion, hurt and shock; he doesn’t know on which emotion he should concentrate. Jaehyun needs to analyze, because this is what he does best - analyze, make everything make sense, organize in logical order. But feelings are hard: they rarely follow orders or make sense. Jaehyun struggles to pinpoint one emotion that bothers him the most and he can’t seem to find the right words to help Yukhei understand what he’s feeling. And how can he do that when mess that’s inside of him is unreasonable even to him? He wants to scream, maybe even crush something, but it’s very unlike his usual composed nature, so Jaehyun settles for loudly groaning out of frustration.

‘Jaehyun.’ Yukhei’s voice is serious and filled with concern. ‘What happened, Jae?’

 _Lee Taeyong happened_ , Jaehyun thinks gloomily. A single thing that he wanted and thought he’d _never have in his life_ \- happened. Jung long time ago came in terms with his anosmia: it doesn’t bother him anymore. Not being able to smell anything became such a normal part of his life that when Taeyong touched his hand and all of his senses went into haywire Jaehyun almost blacked out. It felt like he was drowning with intensity of the feeling: leaks of electricity running down his veins and god _that smell_. A strong scent of fresh strawberries that he always plucked out from his grandmother’s garden when he was little, same strawberries that his grandad always used to add to his lemonade, saying that it’ll taste better like that. A scent of warmest childhood memories enveloped him like a blanket and Jaehyun could swear he almost felt the taste of that good old pink lemonade on his tongue.

‘That guy who was standing behind the door, his name is Lee Taeyong.’ He tries to keep his voice cool, not wanting to show his friend just how affected he is. ‘And he’s an omega.’

Yukhei’s face morphs into shock. _He’s my omega_ , his mind screams and Jaehyun looks away. Lee Taeyong, his new accountant, is an omega, his omega, his destined mate. Jaehyun remembers Seulgi’s words, how she told him that he will just _know_ when or if he ever met his destined mate and now Jaehyun understands. That rush, this electricity - it felt like his heart doubled in size and threatened to break his ribs in order to set free. Jaehyun never felt this before and he knew in that same moment, when Taeyong looked up that he felt it too. He can clearly recall flushing cheeks of a new worker, his widened eyes, how he whined and stared at Jaehyun like he wants nothing more but for alpha to ravish him. And Jaehyun almost did. He almost let his instincts take over, he almost gave in to the strong urge to bite, claim and make boy in front of him make that pretty sound again. Thinking about it now Jaehyun feels hot shame; thank god he didn’t lose control like some sixteen year old boy who has just turned alpha and gone crazy with the rut.

‘He’s an omega,’ Yukhei’s voice cuts through his thoughts and Jung turns to his friend, who still appears to be shell shocked. ‘God, that’s why it smells weird here! Wait, but how did you know? That he’s an omega? Cause even I had a hard time understanding, like yeah it smells funny, but not omega-like, you know?’

Words of his friend only further confirm what Jaehyun thought earlier. If Yukhei, a normal functioning alpha who doesn’t have anosmia, can’t pick up the scent of Taeyong then he really was wearing scent blockers and probably very strong suppressants. Hell, he wouldn’t have been accepted into the company if someone had suspicions of him being an omega. Meaning, only Jaehyun was able to smell him, which only solidifies his suspicion that Taeyong really is his destined mate.

‘I smelled him.’

‘You what?’ Yukhei blinks rapidly and then jumps out from the couch, kneeling in front of his friend with wide eyes. ‘Jaehyun!’

‘Or maybe I didn’t,’ Jaehyun quickly corrects himself, not letting Wong get too excited. ‘I don’t know it’s-’

‘What you mean you don’t know? Dude, it’s either you smelled him or you didn’t-’

‘I clearly have been paying more attention on biology lessons than you did,’ Jaehyun interrupts and Yukhei promptly shuts up. ‘It’s not only the scent. Do you know how many touch receptors and free nerve endings we have on our fingertips? I think… I mean, I don’t think it’s the scent. Because I can’t smell you now.’

‘I’m on the scent blockers, man.’

Jaehyun huffs impatiently. ‘I can’t smell anything, Yukhei! Nothing! Everything is back to how it usually is for me.’

Yukhei stares at him in wonder before falling and landing on his butt on a floor. ‘But why him? You’ve touched plenty of people before, but you never had this reaction.’

Jaehyun sits still and doesn’t open his mouth, he knows his friend will understand everything himself, but also he’s not ready yet to say it out loud. Yukhei is far from being dumb, so in matter of minutes he connects all the dots and then starts gaping like a fish thrown from the sea onto the sand. He opens his mouth, closes it, then opens it again and no sound comes out. Jaehyun would have laughed at this if it didn’t concern him.

‘ _Unbelievable_!’ Yukhei shouts and the volume of it makes Jung cringe. Thank god for soundproof walls. ‘Jaehyun, he-’

‘ _Lied_.’ Jung interrupts coldly and all Yukhei’s enthusiasm and excitement deflates like a popped balloon. ‘He lied.’

‘About being a beta?’ Yukhei asks and sighs. ‘He probably did it to get into the company. Our policies against omegas are shit.’

And Jaehyun agrees. He is against the discrimination, he does think that omegas deserve the same rights, but he’s not activist or an enthusiast of this matter. He certainly didn’t think of changing company’s policies right now, he doesn’t have needed power for that just yet; still, he never thought that someone would be so bold as to pretend to be a beta just to get inside.

‘He knew it before,’ he says and Yukhei rises his eyebrow on the ‘ _it_ ’ part, but otherwise doesn’t comment for what Jaehyun is grateful. ‘That guy I wanted to tell you about yesterday… it was him.’

‘When you were exiting IT room?’ Jaehyun nods. ‘You mean he felt it?’

‘I think he picked up my scent. I also for a second thought that I have smelled something, but I didn’t really think anything of it. The way he looked at me when I turned… He probably was shocked that he picked up my scent in a company where it’s mandatory to take scent blockers.’

‘You think he knew that you’re his destined mate at that time?’ Yukhei says and Jaehyun cringes, which makes his friend frown. ‘Jaehyun, that’s what he is and you should call it like that. He is your destined mate.’

Jaehyun feels a pang of hurt in his chest. His first thought is ‘ _It shouldn’t have been you!_ ’ as image of Chenle enters his mind. Then he remembers betrayal, all of the lies and acid feeling washes over everything good he ever felt for that boy. And that’s why he couldn’t stand to look at Taeyong - he lied too. His mind swirled with memories of breaking up with Chenle, hearing the truth that shattered his heart. Chenle was a beta pretending to be an omega. Taeyong is an omega pretending to be a beta. _God_ , Jaehyun’s life is such a cruel _joke_. When he looked at Taeyong he saw crying Chenle instead of him; his mind kept on creating parallels between two guys and that’s why his panic attack has started. He just couldn’t take it: meeting new worker and realizing that he can smell him, understanding that boy in front of him is pretending to be a beta when he’s not, learning that he’s his destined mate. Jaehyun hated being lied to. It was all too much. It still is too much, but talking with Yukhei and voicing his thoughts helps him to analyze and untangle the web of confusion.

‘I need to go and see specialist,’ Jaehyun says. ‘About anosmia. I need to understand what had happened.’

‘Okay.’ Yukhei stares at him, reaching out and gently covering Jaehyun’s knees with his big hands. ‘I’ll come with you, if you want.’

‘I’ll be fine.’ Jaehyun smiles a little. His chest contracts with amount of thankfulness he feels towards his friend. He knows Yukhei wants to say a lot and ask even more questions, but he holds back for Jaehyun’s sake, not wanting to overwhelm him. ‘Thank you.’

Yukhei looks at him quizzically. ‘For what? I did nothing.’

‘Yukhei.’ Jaehyun takes Wong’s right hand in his and squeezes in a gentle reprimand. Yukhei always does this: belittling his contribution to anything, acting like he did nothing when he did everything.

His friend smiles. ‘Anytime, Jae. You know it.’

Jaehyun nods. They sit like that for few minutes before Yukhei’s phone doesn’t start buzzing. Both alphas stand up and while Yukhei answers his call Jaehyun looks around the office. He sees shadow of Taeyong standing near the door, his hurt expression when Jaehyun told him to leave and alpha’s heart skips a beat. Was he too much? But he was _hurt_. And angry. Jaehyun is not the type of person to get angry easily, but he was very close to going into a full on rage when he realized that Taeyong lied. Just like Chenle. All they ever did was _lie_. Jaehyun blinks and shadow is gone, but his heart still feels heavy.

‘It’s Donghae, he wants to talk about the project.’ Yukhei gathers his docs from the table and turns to Jaehyun. ‘You good? Want to take a day off?’

‘I’m not a pussy,’ Jaehyun scoffs. ‘By the way, why did you come here in the first place? Wanted to give me something?’

‘Ah, I wanted to ask if you wanna come down to Starbucks with me during lunch. I hoped we both could catch that barista there.’

‘Since when do you need my help in scoring a date with someone?’

‘It’s not like that!’ Yukhei looks embarrassed. ‘I just thought it over and maybe I came off too strong, so I thought in case he wouldn’t want to speak to me then you’ll be a second option.’

Jaehyun looks very unimpressed and Yukhei laughs awkwardly, trying to his his blushing face behind documents. ‘Alright, I’m going. Call me if anything happens, yeah? Do you need something now?’

Jung swallows. ‘Can you check if… If, you know. If he is…’

‘Want me to check up on Taeyong?’ Yukhei guesses and Jaehyun nods, uncomfortable. ‘Will do. I’ll text if I learn something. But you will talk with him, right?’

Jaehyun doesn’t say anything on this, mostly because just the thought of seeing boy again makes his blood boil. He’s not ready mentally to even _think_ about this, not talking about actually _doing_ something. Yukhei frowns at the lack of answer, patting Jaehyun’s shoulder to get his attention.

‘Jaehyun, you need to sort this out. You can’t just ignore it and act like nothing happened.’ Jaehyun fights the urge to roll his eyes and pout. Why does his best friend knows him so well? ‘Go to your specialist and then sort everything out with this boy.’ Yukhei says sternly, for once acting like he’s the older one between them. ‘Or else..’

‘Or what?’

‘Or I will tell everything to Seulgi.’ Jaehyun visibly pales at that and Yukhei smugly grins. ‘And after that good luck trying to avoid your destined mate. You know she’ll get you.’

Jaehyun shudders at the thought of Seulgi sitting down with him for a ‘talk’. He had one after he broke up with Chenle and he vowed to do everything in his power to never ever have a ‘talk’ with her again. Yukhei smiles unabashedly with no regrets for blackmailing his friend. He starts whistling some tune under his breath and Jaehyun throws pen at him, making Wong giggle.

‘You have three days, Jae!’ Yukhei calls out before clicking his door shut, leaving alpha alone.

Three days. Jaehyun groans loudly, messing up his perfectly styled hair with his hands. He sits on the chair, turning on his laptop, hoping work will take his mind off all these things. He can’t afford to be distracted now, not when he has so many tings to finish for the client. Several notifications pop up on the right of the screen and one of them is from Wendy. She informs him that their new accountant, Lee Taeyong, had an emergency and had to go home. He just can’t stop lying, Jaehyun thinks bitterly and he knows it’s immature, knows that what omega did is very logical and probably for the best in this situation, but still. Without meaning to he checks his history of messages with Irene and finds Taeyong’s CV. Jaehyun opens it and almost zones out, staring at a small picture on the left corner of the blank. He takes in everything: from Taeyong’s light brown hair and his beautiful dark eyes to his long neck and sharp collarbones visible from the shirt. He again checks his test results, his previous education and GPA and can’t help a weird sense of pride that blossoms in his chest - Taeyong really is the best, just like Irene said. Jaehyun’s corner of the lips stretch into a smile, thinking how good his mate is and alpha curses. _No. Don’t let it fuck with your head_. His phone beeps with a message from Yukhei:

‘ _Checked cctv from security room - your boy escaped through the back door._ ’

Jaehyun’s eyes focus on the ‘your boy’ and he grits his teeth in annoyance.

‘ _Did he bump into someone on his way?_ ’

‘ _No, he’s extra lucky._ ’

For whatever reason it is, Jaehyun feels relief wash over him at the thought that no one saw Taeyong, that his secret stayed safe. _You shouldn’t care for this_ , his mind reminds him and alpha groans. He stares at twenty unanswered messages in his inbox and five meetings showing on his calendar and updates his status with: ‘out of office for today. for any emergency please contact me via whatsapp’ and stands up. Jung knows that he won’t be able to get any work done until he’ll sort everything out, so he turns off his laptop, grabs his phone and goes out of his office to meet up with a specialist.

+-+

When Sicheng enters shared flat first thing he smells is a distressed omega. Taeyong’s usual scent takes over a bitter note, like strawberries that stayed at the open for too long and have gone too soft and sour. Beta quickly pulls off his sneakers and throws his bag on the floor in the corridor, rushing to his room. Just like he predicted, his omega roommate is there on his bed, hidden underneath a blanket.

'Sichengie?’ Taeyong calls and rolls over, meeting beta’s gaze. ‘Come cuddle me.’

‘Aren’t you supposed to be at work? It’s only three. Did something happen?’

Sicheng doesn’t bother with changing his clothes, going straight to the bed and lying on top of the blanket. Taeyong turns, facing him and his eyes are red and puffy, which happens only if he’s been crying. Before beta can ask omega leans in and then whines loudly, pouting.

‘What is that smell?’ He asks, obviously not happy with another smell clinging to his best friend’s clothes. ‘It’s not yours!’

Sicheng furiously blushes and awkwardly coughs, feeling tips of his ears burn because of embarrassment. ‘It’s Xiaojun. He’s in heat.’

‘Oh,’ Taeyong looks up at that and rises his eyebrow. ‘Did you help him through his heat?’

‘I-, he…’ Sicheng’s tongue refused to move and form any intelligent sentence, but Taeyong took a pity on him, tugging on his white henley.

‘Take it off,’ Taeyong half-commands, half-asks and Sichen quickly obliges, removing henley and throwing it somewhere on the floor. His torso’s left bare and Taeyong happily hums, cuddling closer to his friend and breathing in his scent. ‘Want only your scent, Sichengie. Not Xiao’s.’

Sicheng smiles at this and carefully pulls omega closer. He knows better than to ask more questions and just settles for lightly caressing Taeyong’s back, lulling him to sleep.

‘I’ll tell you everything when I wake up.’ Taeyong mumbles, eyelids dropping close.

‘Shh, sleep, Yongie.’ Sicheng whispers and consciously releases more of his scent, not missing the way omega smiles blissfully at this. ‘Just sleep for now.’

Sicheng waits until Taeyong’s breathing evens out and only then allows himself to also close eyes and succumb to tiredness and falls asleep, holding omega close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> long chapter notes ahead: 
> 
> 1\. AYYYY they've finally met! let me know your thoughts babes!! this chapter literally squeezed me out like a lemon, it's an another 10 doc pages monster, what do you thiiiiink??  
> 2\. why did sichengie's henley smelled like xiaojun? *inserts literally all suggestive emotions that exist*  
> 3\. so far i have updated once a week, but i want to tell you guys that from now on updates will probably be slower due to the fact that i had laser surgery done on my eyes and i kinda can't spend a lot of time on laptop for first month. i'll try my best to update at least once in 10 days, but also...all of the people who have no troubles with eyesight... you all are winning in this life, i sweat to god now that i see everything so clearly i feel like i've been reborn again lmao
> 
> ALSO! 100+ kudos!! THANK YOU!! i feel like crying thank you so much babes :') and to people who leave comments after every chapter - you're all real MVPs, I love you.
> 
> And Eid Mubarak <3 
> 
> as always stop by on my tumblr page to request wayv imagines and just talk! http://sentimentaals.tumblr.com


	6. let go

Sicheng’s legs wobbled as he exits dance studio. One practice in the morning and two after lunch were tiring on their own, but add to that four boring lectures then Sicheng really wanted nothing more but to go home. He didn’t have to work today, so beta quickly showered and was already thinking of what to cook for the dinner for him and Taeyong. Battling whether to go for grocery shopping or not Sicheng got dressed, when his phone buzzed with a message from Hendery:

_‘can you check on Xiao real quick? professor is not letting us go :(’_

Sicheng types out short _‘will check’_ and gathers his things. He knows that if Hendery messaged him then he really couldn’t make it, because both of his friends know how Sicheng feels about heats. This topic is too… awkward for him. Sicheng has no idea how to get around it and even during Taeyong’s heats he usually stays the nights at another place, because he doesn’t want to impose or make the whole atmosphere uncomfortable. He’s never been with an omega during heat before and although he heard many things, Sicheng never thought of even trying. Anything sexual, just like anything romantic, usually left him confused and embarrassed; he never accompanied Hendery, when his friend helped Xiaojun through the heat.

Sicheng reaches dormitory for omegas and betas pretty quickly and upon entering second floor he can instantly smell cloyingly sweet scent of cotton candy. Unlike alphas, betas don’t react on the smell and Sicheng briefly thinks how well thought through is their campus - dormitory for alphas stands on another end of the university grounds and all walls of dormitories are scent-proof, Sicheng didn’t even get a whiff of the smell before he entered inside. Clearing his throat, beta walks down the corridor and stops before Xiao’s door, lightly knocking. He’s nervous and his hands are gripping water bottle too tight. What if Xiao doesn’t want him here now? What if Sicheng somehow manages to fuck it all up? He has no idea what to do with omega in heat apart from basic course that everyone has to listen during their last year of high school. Sure, he can cook for omega, make sure his friend is well fed and hydrated, but what if Xiaojun will need more… physical approach?

‘Winwin!’ Xiao’s voice wakes him up and he opens the door, coming in.

Inside scent of cotton candy is stronger, thicker. Sicheng’s eyes immediately fall upon naked omega on the bed and beta flushes, looking away. He definitely needn’t to see his friend dry humping the mattress and now that image is stuck in his head.

‘I…’ Sicheng’s voice cracks and he clears his throat. ‘I brought water, few bottles. And I have a chicken sandwich, if you want. I also can run to the nearest convenience store to-’

‘ _Winwin,_ ’ Xiaojun calls - or better, moans.

Sicheng freezes, still not looking at his friend. He stares at the floor, but he can pick up all of the sounds: shuffling of bedsheets, ragged breathing and a tiny moan that escapes omega’s mouth. Sicheng tenses up upon hearing his friend call out his name again, much needier than first time. Xiaojun sounds like he’s in pain and his scent also shows it, acquiring a burning note to it. What should he do? Come closer? Leave bottles, sandwich and just go? Call Hendery? What is the regalement for this kind of situation?

‘Winwinnie, _please_ ,’ Xiaojun’s voice wavers and Sicheng immediately looks up to see if omega is crying or not.

Xiaojun has turned and now his back was on the mattress, his naked body all on display as he shamelessly fingers himself. Sicheng sees tear streaks on his cheeks and his heart swells with pity; he heard how painful heats without alphas can be for omegas. Xiaojun always was the epitome of gentleness and fragility for him, so just the thought that he’s hurting makes Sicheng want to cry or crush something. He swallows and puts his backpack on the table, stepping closer. He knows he shouldn’t, but he can’t help but look - his eyes take in the expanse of milky skin, Xiao’s beauty knocking the breath out of him. Beta feels shame burning somewhere in the back of his mind when his eyes linger on omega’s hole, but he pushes it away when his friend whines pitifully and makes grabby hands at him. Xiaojun’s eyes are unfocused, glazed and he looks at the boy in front of him like he’s the savior.

‘Touch me,’ Xiaojun asks and then adds, hesitantly: ‘Please, Winwinnie, I know you don’t like this, but please-’

‘Shh,’ Sicheng shushes his friend and puts one knee on the bed, not daring to come closer. ‘It’s okay, I… I just want to help you.’

Xiaojun stares at him with wonder and then reaches out with his hand, smiling when Sicheng interlaces their fingers. Omega’s not ashamed of his nudity, of the compromising position he’s in, but common sense does knock in his mind, reminding him that it’s the first time for beta and he needs to not be selfish. Sicheng’s gentleness as he places his hand on Xiao’s thigh makes omega want to cry; he knew beta would be like that. He imagined it so many times and now that he has his friend where he wanted him for a long time, Xiao doesn’t know where to start.

‘Are you in pain?’ Sicheng quietly asks and his eyes search for any sign of discomfort on omega’s face. ‘Does it hurt a lot?’

It does. Xiaojun knows that if he says this out loud then Winwin will do whatever it’s needed to help him, to make him feel better. Xiaojun can lie and use him, tell him he needs to be fucked and Sicheng will oblige… but he can’t. Lying to Winwin is impossible, not when he looks so concerned, not when he trusts so much. Xiaojun wants both to ruin his naivety and keep it for as long as possible, because that’s what makes his friend so precious in his eyes.

‘No, I’m fine,’ omega answers, swallowing and cringing. ‘I need water and… can we just lay here? Together?’

Beta nods and while Xiao sits, he brings him bottle of water. They both don’t mention what omega has been doing before Winwin came in and Xiao wrinkles his nose in disgust, looking at his bedsheets that are soaked with sweat and lube. He makes an attempt to somehow cover a very obvious stain from his slick, but beta beats him to it; he asks Xiao to stand up and makes a quick work of changing bedsheets. Xiaojun feels affection blossoming in his chest as he stares at Winwin: beta’s dedication to his friends and his ability to push his own comfort down in order to help was always admirable.

‘Like this?’ Sicheng asks as he gingerly lays on the bed, his back pressed to the wall.

Xiaojun nods, smiling and quickly cuddling closer to his friend. Winwin’s scent makes him purr and he turns, facing beta and burrowing his head in other’s chest. Material of beta’s white henley is soft and smells like him and Xiao rubs his nose against it, sighing in satisfaction as he settles comfortably. Sicheng’s body is tense, but he slowly relaxes as time passes by and lightly caresses Xiao’s arm. He starts murmuring some tune and his mind drifts to other places, but this serenity does not last long. After ten minutes Xiaojun starts to fidget and Sicheng at first doesn’t understand what the problem is, but then he feels something poking into his hip and flushes crimson red.

‘I’m sorry,’ omega mumbles, hiding his face. ‘I can’t help it.’

‘It’s alright,’ Sicheng whispers back.

Xiaojun suddenly looks up and shuffles until his nose is pressed right onto Sicheng’s neck. He loudly breathes in and his hips starts moving on their own accord. Winwin’s scent clogs omega’s mind and he hesitantly licks his friend’s neck. Beta shivers at this, but doesn’t try to move back or stop, so Xiao happily does it again, blowing hot air on the place.

‘Xiao,’ Sicheng calls, swallowing. ‘I don’t think that we should-’

‘Please, Winwinnie,’ Xiaojun whispers and starts nibbling on beta’s neck, loving how beta shivers. ‘You said you’d help me.’

Sicheng doesn’t know what to say on this; he said he would help, but did that entail anything physical? He can feel the heat from omega’s body and is ashamed to admit that all Xiao’s actions are making his dick twitch in interest. Xiaojun takes his hand and guides it down, over his back and tries to put it on his left butt cheek, but Sicheng stops, gripping his hip instead.

‘Xiaojun.’

This time he was voice is strict and it really shouldn’t turn on Xiaojun as much as it does; omega keens and licks a long stripe from the base of the neck to the chin, knowing he’s acting as a brat, but gone too far to care. Sicheng’s grip on his hip tightens and prevents Xiao from humping beta’s leg, but omega is relentless. He tries to nibble on his friend’s chin, ignoring Sicheng’s warning, which earns him a light and quick slap on the butt that makes both of the friends freeze in shock. Sicheng doesn’t know what’s gotten into him and he stares at omega with wide eyes. Fear cripples in his chest, words of apology are already on his tongue, but they get stuck there, when instead of being angry or scandalized, Xiaojun moans loudly, throwing back his head. His neck is bared beautifully and he arches his back, showing that he liked that slap very much. Sicheng is still frozen in shock from his own actions and Xiao moves closer, bracketing beta’s leg between his own and starting to rock against Sicheng’s thigh. _This is not real._ Sicheng doesn’t know what to do or where to look out from embarrassment and he doesn’t even register that he moves his leg to the rhythm, helping omega get much needed friction until Xiao’s moan doesn’t pull him back to the present. His palm burns from the slap and he bites his lower lip, feeling conflicted. He knows Xiaojun liked that and Sicheng’s hard-on shows that he liked it too, but isn’t is wrong? To like this? To do this to your best friend?

‘Winwin.’ Xiaojun grabs his head and makes their eyes meet. Omega sees all the inner turmoil inside his friend and barely surpasses back a tired sigh. He wants nothing more than to have a long talk with Sicheng’s parents, who put so much into their son’s head - ‘Winwinnie, are you with me?’

Beta nods, but anxiety is evident in his eyes. ‘I’m sorry-’

‘No!’ Xiaojun grips his head harder in between his hands and frowns. ‘Don’t be sorry. Stop overthinking, you did nothing wrong, I liked that.’ When Sicheng’s eyes widen at that and light blush colors his cheeks, omega repeats softly: ‘I really liked that. Don’t think for now, okay? Everything is fine, I promise. You’re making me feel so good, Winwinnie.’

‘Yeah?’ Beta looks up with so much hope in his eyes that Xiaojun barely resists an urge to kiss the living daylights of him.

‘Yeah, baby, so so good.’

Omega sees confidence slowly taking anxiety’s place and Sicheng’s hands get bolder, sneaking and giving a firm squeeze to Xiao’s buttocks. Beta watches his friend’s facial expression closely, marveling at how easy Xiaojun lets go and gives into a pleasure. He pushes his knee in between Xiaojun’s thighs and lets omega grind on him, holding him steadily by hips. Xiaojun’s scent gets thicker and Sicheng feels a wet patch forming on his jeans from the slick that’s leaking out of omega’s hole. He doesn’t mind it and doesn’t even think of his own hard-on straining against zipper, way more focused on making his friend feel good. A sense of pride blossoms in his chest as he looks at Xiao and listens to his moans; he feels weirdly prideful for making omega feel so good. Xiaojun looks down and sees everything on beta’s face - he’s always been an open book for him. Testing his theory, Xiao leans closer and whispers:

‘So good, Winwin. _You’re so good_.’

Reaction is instant: Sicheng tenses and starts moving his knee to help Xiao more eagerly, a barely audible groan escapes his mouth and his cheeks grow even redder. Of course. Sicheng always has been very sensitive to praise: he’d act like he doesn’t care for it, but once someone compliments him he’d literally start glowing from inside. In all of his actions he looked for affirmation, wanting to be good, to be the best. It’s really not a surprise that this also translates into bedroom. Xiaojun stops his movements and takes beta’s hand in his, interlacing their fingers. He stares at his friend, gazes locked as he slowly moves Sicheng’s hand from his hip to his butt and lower.

‘Do you want to make me feel good, Winwinnie?’ He asks and beta nods, not looking away like he’s in trance. Xiaojun rests their fingers just above his hole and licks his bottom lip, liking the way beta’s eyes follow his tongue. ‘Then touch me there, baby.’

Sicheng loudly gulps, hesitant, but he still unlaces their fingers and moves down. His index finger circles the rim and Xiaojun shivers in anticipation. They don’t look away from each other as beta slowly pushes his finger in and Xioajun loudly moans in order to spur Sicheng’s confidence. His eyes close and he rests his forehead on Sicheng’s head; he doesn’t see how beta counts his eyelashes, waits for any sign of discomfort that doesn’t come. He adds another finger and gasps at the feeling of warm walls surrounding him. He feels slick and gently probes inside, immediately stilling when omega keens.

‘Just like that,’ Xiaojun whispers, not opening his eyes. ‘You can add more, I can take it.’

Beta complies and adds third fingers, surprised by how omega takes him with no pain. Xiaojun breathes out and rocks few times with his hips until he’s stopped. Omega’s eyes open and he looks at Winwin in question only to be met with determined glint in beta’s eyes.

‘I’ll do it.’ He says, no previous hesitance evident in his voice.

He grips Xiao’s hip with one hand and with another he starts moving his fingers in and out, shallowly. The angle is wrong and thrusting is too timid; Sicheng understands that as he doesn’t hear answering moans. He pushes Xiao’s leg higher and then picks up the speed, smirking once omega starts moaning. Beta can’t look away, can’t stop staring at the way omega’s eyes roll back and he opens his mouth, wetting his lips every three seconds.

‘Like this?’ Sicheng asks, not looking away from Xiao’s face, wanting and needing to bring his friend to the peak of pleasure.

‘He likes it harder.’

Sicheng freezes and turns to see Hendery leaning on the wall, looking super casual except an obvious bulge in his pants. His eyes are trained on his best friends and he motions Sicheng to continue, because Xiao whines in distress. Beta blinks and looks at Hendery with wide eyes, feeling caught.

‘Xiao is getting impatient there,’ Hendery says and walks to the side, sitting on a chair.

‘You… how long-’

‘Long enough to get hard looking at you two,’ Hendery’s body turned to them and he boldly palms himself through the pants, looking at Sicheng with devious glint in his eyes. ‘Go on. Don’t stop on my accord.’

Sicheng still can’t find the words but Xiaojun’s breathless ‘ _Winwin!_ ’ gets his attention. He hesitantly starts moving his fingers again and turns to Hendery, who’s watching them with rapt attention. Sicheng doesn’t have audacity to say something, to voice out his thoughts because he doesn’t even know what he’s thinking, Xiaojun’s writhing form next to him taking all of his attention. Just like Hendery said, he starts moving his fingers harder and when he finds a bundle of nerves that makes omega moan loudly and tremble in his arms, he keeps on insistently press on it. Sicheng hears footsteps - more mindful of his surroundings now than he was before - and looks up, seeing Hendery sit on the edge of the bed, close to omega’s head.

‘Isn’t your Junnie the prettiest?’ He asks in a whisper, lovingly caressing Xiao’s face.

Sicheng nods; Xiaojun has almost angelic beauty on him. He looks so sweet and yet now he’s a picture perfect of sin and it makes Sicheng’s head spin with a contrast. He watches as Xiao leans to Hendery’s touch, how he looks up at another beta with so much love and how he sensually moans, when Hendery shoves two fingers into omega’s mouth. Xiaojun sucks on his fingers, never breaking eye contact and then releases wet digits with a loud pop. He half moans, half shouts and grips Sicheng’s shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut. Everything about it is so erotic that Sicheng’s feels delirious.

‘Close, hm?’ Hendery brushes omega’s lips with his thumb, looking at him in wonder. ‘Are you already close? Is Winwinnie giving it to you good?’

Xiaojun nods, whimpering at the constant pressure on his prostate. ‘Good, so good.’

Hendery hums and leans closer, his fingers starting to pinch omega’s nipple, eliciting series of lustful moans. ‘Wanna cum from Winwinnie’s fingers?’

Xiaojun shakes his head and shouts, when beta pinches his nipple too harsh. ‘Want- want more.’

‘How greedy,’ Hendery shakes his head in disapproval and then looks at Sicheng, who still very much feels like all of this is not real. ‘I don’t think we should give him more.’

Sicheng doesn’t know how to answer and instead crooks his fingers inside omega and stops. He doesn’t pull out and just holds like this, applying pressure on the prostate. Xiaojun whimpers, starts moving and receives a harsh slap on his bottom from beta to make him stop. Omega arches his back and tries to escape, but Sicheng’s hold on him is tight and when Hendery leans down, pulling one of the nipples inside his mouth and biting it, he cums with a drawn out shout, shuddering through his orgasm. Sicheng gasps at the slick that gushes out and he pulls out his fingers that are coated with wetness. It serves as a proof that everything what happened is not a dream. He looks up to see Xiao and Hendery lazily kissing, tongues intertwined. Strangely enough seeing his best friends kiss makes him more embarrassed than everything what’s happened and he looks away, gulping. One by one, all of the thoughts enter his mind as reality dawns on him.

‘Winwin.’ Hendery calls and Sicheng doesn’t look up, not ready to look his best friend in the eyes yet.

Xiaojun and Hendery exchange a worrying glance and then Hendery nods, when Xiao’s hand slowly reaches out and palms at Sicheng’s hard-on. Beta chokes on air and makes a feeble attempt to take omega’s hand away, but Hendery catches him midway.

‘You made Junnie feels so good,’ he says and Sicheng closes his eyes, letting warm feeling of being able to satisfy his friend wash over him. ‘Now it’s his turn.’

Sicheng didn’t even have time to get flustered before Xiaojun’s fingers quickly pulled his zipper down and sneaked behind his underwear to touch his aching member. A choked groan escapes his lips as omega doesn’t tease and gets to work. Xiao’s long fingers grip and move along the length as his lips start peppering little kisses all over beta’s neck. Sicheng bites his lips, not wanting to be loud and his friends don’t stop him. Even without talking Xiaojun and Hendery knew that everything what happened already is too much and they don’t push harder, afraid that if they cross the line they will lose their friend.

‘Let go, Winwin,’ Hendery says, running his fingers through beta’s hair, knowing that what’s happening inside beta’s head is a chaos of thoughts. ‘Just let go.’

‘It’s only us,’ Xiaojun mutters into his neck. ‘Just me and Hendery. _You can let go with us_.’

These words trigger something inside beta; he sniffles and openly groans, when Xiao starts fondling his balls. All thoughts die in his mind and leave place only for a hazy fog of pleasure that’s been steadily building in his lower belly. His eyes are closed and he doesn’t see how both of his friends are watching him closely, marveling at his beauty, silently wishing for all of it to be theirs. Omega still can’t believe that he got to have Winwin in this way, doesn’t want to wake up if this all is just a dream.

‘Tell him he’s good,’ Xiaojun whispers into Hendery’s ear and beta nods, smirking.

He leans closer and grips Sicheng’s hair as Xiaojun tries to push his jeans down in order to have more freedom for movements. Hendery licks Sicheng’s earlobe and whispers ‘ _you did so good, Winwinnie, so good_ ’ and watches how beta gasps, arching into omega’s touch. Hendery hungrily latches on his friend’s open neck, turned on to the maximum by learning his knack for praise.

‘Our precious babyboy, you’re so good for us.’ He says and Xiaojun nods in agreement, grabbing Sicheng’s dick with both hands. ‘Won’t you cum for us, baby? Be good for us?’

Sicheng squeezes his eyes shut and digs his nails into Xiao’s arms. He feels heat coiling and after few pumps he cums right into omega’s hands. His scream is silent and he shivers at the stimulation, when Xiaojun wipes off his sperm with his fingers. Hendery continues kissing his neck and stops only when Sicheng turns, moving away from the touch. Three of them stay silent; Xiao and Hendery watch as Sicheng evens out his breathing, coming down from his high. Xiao reaches out and squeezes Hendery’s hand, receiving a light kiss on the forehead in return. Omega wants to kiss Sicheng’s lips, whisper sweet nothings right into his mouth and see him blush again. He holds back and when beta turns to them, Xiaojun’s breath hitches - Sicheng has tears in his eyes.

‘Winwin-’ Hendery tries to reach out, but beta shakes his head and he freezes. ‘We-’

‘I need to go.’ Sicheng pulls his jeans up and stands up from the bed, not looking at his friends.

‘Winwinnie, _no_!’ Xiaojun calls and sits up, making grabby hands towards tall beta. ‘Let’s talk about it, don’t shut us down!’

Sicheng turns and his heart crushes when he sees Xiaojun’s bottom lip shivering; he wants to run to his friend and hug him and assure him that everything is okay, but he’s never been a good liar and he can’t do that now. His head is a mess, his heart is a mess and he needs alone time to think about everything and come in terms with what has happened.

‘Let him go.’ Hendery pats omega’s shoulder and makes him lie back down. He then turns to Sicheng and solemnly nods. ‘Take all the time you need.’

‘But come back to us!’ Xiaojun adds and Hendery lightly smacks him on the head. ‘I mean, with an answer. Don’t leave us hanging.’

Sicheng nods and walks to the door, putting on his shoes. He feels eyes on him and wishes he could say something affirming, but his tongue doesn’t move. He takes his backpack and looks up.

‘We love you, Winwin.’ Hendery says and Xiao nods, blushing.

Beta purses his lips and nods, turning away and going out of the room. He completely misses crestfallen look on Xiaojun’s face after he has not said ‘i love you too’ and Hendery hugging omega, looking as glum as a sky during storm.

+-+

Jaehyun drives back to his apartment, replaying whole conversation with a good friend of his family and a certified specialist Kim Minho, in his head.

(‘It’s not exactly something abnormal. You were right to question if it’s the scent or not. As you can see here, test results show that your anosmia, unfortunately, did not disappear or got better for that fact. You still have no sense of smell, but just like other people with disabilities, it only strengthens your other senses. I think your theory about touch and touch receptors is correct. You said that you didn’t feel anything when you first met him, right?’

‘I thought I smelled something when I brushed past him in the corridor. But when he came into my office and stood there, I didn’t smell a thing until our hands touched.’

‘Our touch receptors are made of sensory neurons that respond to mechanical stimulation. I mostly incline to the fact that your sense of touch is heightened, nerve endings on your fingertips and palms posses more specialized endings than any other human, so they transmit information regarding not only tactile stimuli to the central nervous system, but also other things. In short, your theory about his smell transmitting to you from the touch is most likely correct. Omegas and alphas have more potent scents unlike betas, but for omegas scent concentration is not in the base of the neck like for alphas. This juncture where your neck meets a shoulder is a place for scent glands for everyone, but it’s more prominent in alphas.’

‘Omegas have their scent receptors somewhere else?’ Jaehyun asks incredulously.

‘No, it’s not that. Their scent is not focused in one part of their body, that’s what I’m saying. Through the touch your receptors reacted on his pheromones and when they transmitted it, your central nervous system picked up on them, dislodged them one by one in order to understand what his scent consists of and then gave a clear picture of his smell to your brain. Alternatively, it’s the same when you told me that sometimes you think that you can smell meat when you're on the barbecue. Your brain just conjures the smell from your memories. Something in his scent must have also been very familiar if you can describe it perfectly.’)

Jaehyun grips steering wheel tighter. _Everything_ about Taeyong’s smell have been familiar. He spent every summer with his grandparents until he turned ten and that was the happiest time. No scolding, no given bed time, no certain diet - his grandparents allowed him to do everything and treated him kindly and with love. He remembers their wide garden filled with various flowers and sprouts of fruits; when sun wasn’t blazing hot, he’d often go and pick up all the fruits with his grandmother and help her water flowers. His grandfather would usually sit on the porch with a book in his hands, smiling kindly whenever Jaehyun ran up to show something: ‘look, this strawberry is huge!’ or ‘did you see how I watered flowers? did you see?’. These memories were Jaehyun’s treasures and after his grandparents passed away, he didn’t let his parents sell that house. It contained too many memories, it was more of a home to him than his own house was and Jaehyun didn’t want to let it go. When he was with Chenle he thought he’d show this special place to him, hoped they could make it theirs, but then his ex-lover showed his true side and…well. Jaehyun stopped all the works of renovation and didn’t visit that house again. But after he exited the hospital he got that unexplainable urge to go there, so alpha followed that urge. House was placed in the outskirts of Seoul, not that far as to be considered not a part from the city, but far enough from the usual buzz of the center. Two floors, made fully of wood with only front gates being from metal, house even from the outside looked cozy and nice. Jaehyun wanted to change interior, but then thought against it; he feared that any change will disrupt homely feeling. But he did change the outside a bit; renewed paint on the walls, changed gates and made them automatic, strengthened the roof. Staring at the house right now, Jaehyun couldn’t help but feel wishful; one day he hoped to move here, create a family of his own in this place and make new memories here that’ll be just as happy as the ones he had before.

(‘Will I always react on him like that?’ Jaehyun asks, frowning. ‘Can something be done?’

‘You must admit that you have it easier, Jaehyun. You react only on his touch, but he reacts on your scent too. It will be easier for both of you if you spend more time together. Your bodies will get used to the pheromones of each other and will stabilize all of the reactions.’

‘Any pills? Suppressants? Anything?’

‘He is your destined mate, so it doesn’t matter if you take scent blockers or suppressants, he’ll be able to pick up your scent anyway. As for you… I don’t think such pills that dull sensory reactions exist. And even if they did I would have asked you to be very mindful about taking them. And if your mate takes any suppressants or scent blockers I would advise you both to think about it carefully, we all know the damage that these pills can bring to our bodies. He shouldn’t heavily depend on them, it’s not healthy.’)

 _Your mate_. Jaehyun closes his eyes, leaning on his car. There was a time when he dreamed of hearing this. When he wished for it to happen. That’s probably why everyone says to be careful with your wishes, because they do come true, but not always in the ways we expected. He thinks of Taeyong and can’t not feel bitter. He still feels anger rising in his chest at the thought of omega, but he also knows that Dr.Kim is right - Jaehyun has is easier than him. Alpha tries to think of any solution for the case, but nothing logical comes up. Should he fire omega? Should he keep his identity a secret? Should he pretend like nothing happened? Should he meet up with him? He knows what Yukhei and Seulgi would say: ‘Talk to him! Hear him out!’ and Jaehyun knows that they’re right. But knowing doesn’t make it easier. His stubborn nature wants to ignore omega for as long as possible and wait for him to come to alpha himself, but he knows he should be a bigger person here, a more responsible one, _an alpha_. Jaehyun pulls out his phone and messages Irene to send him Taeyong’s number. HR manager, as usually, replies instantly and Jaehyun saves his number in his contact list. It feels too sudden to just call omega, so Jung decides to save it for later. He thinks about Dr.Kim’s suggestion to spend more time together so their bodies can stabilize themselves. It sounds reasonable enough, but how it’ll be in reality? Taeyong is too good of a specialist to let him go just like that, especially when his team is in desperate need for someone with a finance/accounting background. So firing him is not an option, but Jaehyun also doesn’t plan on simply closing his eyes on the blatant lie - pretending to be beta in order to get into the company is not a joke, but can be considered as a full legal crime. These thoughts make a headache appear and alpha sighs, coming into the house. Every week cleaning service comes in and cleans it, so inside everything is spotless and smells of floor soap. He quickly goes upstairs, right into his old room with a bed that’s too small for him now, but he didn’t want to change it. Jaehyun smiles at Spiderman bedsheets and takes off his jacket, throwing himself onto the bed with a loud sigh. Tomorrow, he thinks. I will solve everything tomorrow.

+-+

Taeyong knows he’s being stupid. He can just tell the truth to Sicheng and let it be done with, but for some reason he just can’t. He is afraid of judgement even though he logically knows that beta won’t say anything harmful. It’s hard to carry that weight inside though, so Taeyong settles for acting like everything is fine and he doesn’t have inner turmoil going on inside him. He makes a quick run to the nearest convenience store to buy soju (because he has a strong feeling they will need it) and decides to fake confidence and joy all the way.

‘My new manager is hot’, Taeyong says first thing as he enters his shared apartment with Sicheng. ‘He is tall, wide-shouldered and he looks like editorial slapped him on the face.’

‘Okay?’ Sicheng doesn’t even turn around, way too focused on his task of cutting onion and not crying his eyes out.

Taeyong sighs, gathering the courage to drop the bomb. ‘He also is my mate. As in… destined mate.’

Sicheng pauses and looks up with tears brimmed eyes. His expression is a mix of confusion, bewilderment and disgust. Taeyong sincerely hopes that the last one is completely related to onions.

‘Destined mate.’ Beta repeats and puts down the knife. He turns and washes his hands in the sink before asking: ‘Is this the reason of your tears earlier?’

Taeyong chews on his bottom lip. It’d be stupid to wait for some big reaction out of his roommate: Sicheng never was an overly emotional one in the first place and always reacted rather calmly to any situation. Besides, beta has the most perfect poker face, so even if he’s freaking out inside it’s totally invisible to anyone. Knowing all of this he still thought that Sicheng will react differently, because omega can’t pretend to be funny and happy, when he’s not getting same reaction back. Sicheng turns around and adds cut pieces to the pan, still not facing Taeyong. It only makes Lee more nervous and he takes tentative steps closer, leaning on the table. They are standing few meters away, both stiff and their postures rigid.

‘He knows that you’re an omega.’ Sicheng states and adds long turkey fillet slices.

Taeyong nods and then remembers that beta can’t see him, so he affirms vocally: ‘Yeah.’

There’s another beat of silence between them with only sizzling sounds coming from the pan. Sicheng doesn’t take his eyes off their soon to be dinner and gestures Taeyong to hand him salt and black pepper. Omega does so and then turns to their rice cooker, checking time there.

‘Five minutes till rice’s ready,’ he informs and his roommate nods. ‘Should I make tea?’

‘Didn’t you bring something else?’ Beta asks and pointedly looks at bottles of soju on his left.

Taeyong blushes. He takes two steps forward and hugs his friend from behind, wrapping his arms around slim waist. Sicheng tenses up for a second and then relaxes, leaning onto the touch.

‘Talk to me.’ Taeyong whispers and beta sighs. ‘Say something.’

‘Wash up before the dinner and then we’ll talk.’

Omega obeys and lets go, going to the bathroom. Sicheng sets up the table and tries to put his thoughts into logical order. He knows Taeyong well enough to see through that ‘happy’ act and he feels like he needs to carefully walk around this subject: if it made Taeyong cry then it’s not something to be treated lightly. When Lee comes back Sicheng already filled plates with turkey and was waiting for the rice to cook. He puts soju bottles in the middle of the table and sits down, looking thoughtful.

‘He knows that you’re an omega,’ Sicheng repeats, staring at his hands. ‘He knows that you lied in your resume. What did he say?’

Taeyong winces. ‘Nothing. We didn’t talk.’

Sicheng looks up in surprise. ‘What do you mean you two didn’t talk?’

Omega sighs and tells everything what happened. He doesn’t hide anything and tells as it is from the start. Sicheng doesn’t interrupt and listens carefully. By the time story is over their food has gone cold and rice cooker beeped twice, but both of the boys ignored it.

‘I don’t know what to do,’ Lee admits, feeling down and ready to cry again. ‘I’m scared.’

‘Of the fact that you might be fired or because you found your destined mate?’

‘Both. But second one is terrifying.’ Taeyong says and chuckles darkly. ‘Destined mates are often portrayed so dreamy, you know? Like if you ever got to meet one you two will fall in love instantly and will live happily ever after. I am a living proof that all of it is bullshit. Should I expose all writers?’

Sicheng stands up and walks over to his friend. He takes Taeyong’s half-full bottle of soju and puts it back in the fridge. Beta didn’t drink at all and his roommate also had enough.

‘He’s weird,’ Taeyong says, thinking out loud. ‘Like, when he first saw me he didn’t react at all. He didn’t react when he opened the door either. Only when we touched each other.’

‘Maybe he just has better self-control,’ Sicheng suggests and Taeyong glares at him. ‘No one really knows a lot about destined mates anyway, every couple is different. I don’t think it’s right to just look at the canons here.’

‘I can’t believe Jaehyun’s the one,’ Taeyong sighs and stands up, feeling a little dizzy because he drank on an empty stomach. ‘What if we don’t fall in love? What if we hate each other? I think he already hates me. I don’t know why, but he hates me, I’m sure. What do I do?'

Sicheng rises eyebrow on this ramble and pats Taeyong’s shoulder, handing him plate full of rice and turkey. ‘Eat up. Will you go to work tomorrow?’

‘Should I? I’m kinda waiting for a message from HR telling me that I’m fired.’

Omega sits and starts eating under beta’s watchful gaze. Sicheng doesn’t let Taeyong stand up until he cleared whole plate and then cleans after his friend, batting away his tries to help. Taeyong looks really cute: he’s not fully drank, but definitely a bit more than just tipsy and his lips are constantly pouting, his cheeks are flushed and his hair all messy. He whines, clings to Sicheng and behaves like baby - it’s endearing and Sicheng’s heart swells in his chest. Beta feels conflicted about the whole situation with Mr.Jung: on one side he fears that Taeyong’s lie will result into something worse than just being fired and he feels like it’s his fault because he’s the one who proposed the idea after all, and on another side he’s very cautious of newly found destined mate.

‘You should go to sleep,’ he says and pats Taeyong’s head.

Omega whines low in his throat and hugs Sicheng, refusing to let go. Beta rubs his back and smiles at the satisfied purr he hears in return. Taeyong sighs and hugs Sicheng tighter: words of affection are stuck in his throat and he does’t let them out, not wanting to embarrass his friend. But he leaves a light kiss on his temple and Sicheng kisses his forehead back.

‘I’m scared, Sichengie.’ Taeyong confesses in a whisper.

Sicheng hums, tightening his hold on a friend. He wishes he could do something to help. Feeling useless eats him up inside; what he’s good for if he can’t even help his own friend? He’s not bold enough to say something like ‘want me to talk with that alpha?’ and he doubts that this is what Taeyong needs. Beta has a suspicion that deep inside Taeyong just wants his destined mate to make the first move - and he hates himself for it. Lee Taeyong doesn’t want to look weak, like he’s hang up on some alpha even if that alpha is his destined mate. Sicheng feels his heart overflow with love and pride for his friend who, despite being seen by the whole world as ‘weak’ simply because of his sub-gender, still fights back.

‘It’ll be alright, Yongie.’ Sicheng answers after a while. He places affectionate kiss on Taeyong’s head and omega looks up. Sicheng wipes away sweat that gathered on his roommate’s forehead and says one thing he’s 100% sure of: ‘And even if it won’t be alright, then I’m still going to be here.’

Taeyong smiles, biting his lower lip in order not to cry. ‘We will sort it out, right?’

Sicheng nods. ‘Of course. And soon I won’t be your number one anymore.’

‘You’ll always be my number one, Sichengie!’ Taeyong protests cutely, but beta only smiles and shakes his head.

‘I hope that Jung Jaehyun will take that place.’ Sicheng starts walking towards omega’s room.

‘He hates me.’ Taeyong pouts and looks so sad and disappointed that beta hugs him tighter.

‘Then he’s an idiot.’

Sicheng opens the door and laughs, when Taeyong holds on to him, not wanting beta to leave. He blinks heavily and it’s obvious than in fifteen minutes omega will sleep soundly, so Sicheng untangles himself from the hug and lays Taeyong on the bed, covering him with a blanket. He think he need to talk to Kun about it, because older alpha always finds a way to solve any problem; maybe he should also tell to Johnny and Yuta, but these two will be way too excited about the destined mate and it may only upset Taeyong further.

‘If by the time you’re awake tomorrow I will still be here then please know that I got fired.’ Taeyong says, yawning.

Sicheng doesn’t say anything and quickly brings to his room cup with water and puts it on a nightstand. He wishes Taeyong goodnight and closes the door after him, leaving omega all alone with his not so happy thoughts. _It’ll be alright,_ Taeyong thinks to himself, hoping that universe hears him right now. _Everything will be alright._ He goes to sleep and doesn’t wake up at four in the morning, when he receives a text message from unknown number. He doesn’t know it, but on the other part of the city Jaehyun hits ‘send’ and sighs, hoping he made a right choice.

_‘Be in my office at nine a.m. sharp. We need to talk. Jung Jaehyun.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think most of you have realized by now that actual sex will happen only between main two couples and it's not gonna happen soon so im just gonna give little somethings until then   
> LISTEN FOLKS i just needed an excuse to write something sexual about sicheng and i have 0 (zero, absolutely none) regrets!! lmao   
> this chapter is kinda like a filler, i wanted to get the explanation with specialist and taeyong's talk with winwin out of the way, hope it wasn't very boring for you :( 
> 
> as usual, let me know what you think!💜


	7. give it a try

Taeyong almost jumped out of his skin when a sleek black car stopped right next to him. It was almost eight am and he just got out of the bus, wanting to be in the office as early as possible in order to somehow prepare himself for a meeting with Mr.Jung. When he woke up in the morning and saw message on his phone, Lee rushed to the shower and exited shared apartment quietly, not wanting to wake Sicheng up. He thought a little walk will be good and while he didn’t have a hangover, he still had a slight headache due to the fact that he took not one, but two suppressants today. He felt a bit sick when he got out of the bus and thought of going to the nearest pharmacy, but black car stopped him. Taeyong moved to the side and leaned down, when window slid open and he saw Mr.Jung.

‘ _Oh_ \- hi, I mean, hello. Hello, Mr.Jung.’ Taeyong mumbles, bowing low.

‘Good morning. Get in.’ Alpha pointed on the seat next to him and omega’s eyes widened.

'N-no, thank you. I will go-’

‘Get inside, Lee Taeyong.’

It sounded more as an order and Taeyong bristles for a second but then he remembers their positions and sighs, nodding. He gets into the car and holds his breath, carefully closing the door. The second he does that Jaehyun presses on the gas and he leans back on the seat, clutching his hands together. Taeyong exhales and slowly breathes in; his eyes automatically close when a scent that already became so familiar envelops him. Omega quickly realizes that Jaehyun is wearing something more than just scent blockers - his scent is not strong at all, very muted and close to how betas smell. It still is enough to make Taeyong’s brain hazy, but he understands that it’s also because of them being in a closed space and car literally smelling like Jaehyun.

‘I told everyone in the team that you will be absent today due to certain issues,’ his manager breaks the silence and Taeyong turns to him in surprise. ‘And I warned Irene about it too, so you don’t have to worry about that.’

Jaehyun doesn’t turn to him and omega takes this opportunity to examine his manager. Mr.Jung is, objectively speaking, what most people would call handsome in a classy way: every feature of his face is _just right_ that even his profile looks like it belongs on the cover of any trendy magazine. He has this unspeakable suave look, an old-fashion gentleman aura that does something to Taeyong’s heart even if he doesn’t want to admit it. Sure, scent drives him wild and it makes him feel the most basic attraction, but Taeyong doesn’t want it to dictate his feelings. Jaehyun is handsome, yes, but other than that omega knows close to nothing about alpha and he’s not about to fall into biology trap.

‘Thank you.’ Taeyong says and gulps before asking: ‘Where are we going?’

‘To the private clinic,’ Jaehyun answers and quickly looks at his passenger. ‘I’m taking you to a specialist, because I can’t have another guy damaging his body with suppressants and pills because of me.’

Omega blinks in shock, his jaw dropping on the floor from both hearing about apparent ‘another guy’ and from alpha taking him to such a place like hospital without asking him first. ‘I’m not going to any private clinic.’

Jaehyun turns and when he sees that Taeyong looks like he’s ready to jump out of the car if it’s necessary, he simply stops the car in the middle of the road and turns on blinkers. Alpha half-turns and faces his co-worker, seeing unsheltered fear and shock in omega’s eyes.

‘I’m not going to do anything against your will,’ he says in an even tone. Most of the parents use same tone to speak with their kids who don’t get simple things and Taeyong’s annoyance rises. ‘I just want my confidant specialist to run a simple check up on you, so we can choose suppressants that are less harming for your body. I don’t want you to go to work every day and drown yourself in pills because of me. I won’t let you ruin your health like that.’

Taeyong stares in Jaehyun’s eyes, not blinking. He can tell that his manager is being serious and sincere and his gut is telling him that there’s more to this than meets his eye; _who’s this another guy Jaehyun has talked about? What happened?_ Jaehyun holds his gaze and even puts both of his hands on knees with palms up, in case Lee gets triggered or feels unsafe. This gesture makes Taeyong relax a little - it’s clear that alpha is trying not to be intimidating or imposing, letting omega decide the course of the things. Lee chews on his bottom lip, thinking. Does he want to go the clinic? No. But the way Jaehyun seems to deeply care about his health is both touching and suspicious: _why does he care?_ Omega got used to the scent so much that it doesn’t have a strong effect on him anymore, but he also senses something else. Taeyong leans closer and forgets about all manners, taking a big whiff and then narrowing his eyes.

‘What pills did you take?’ He asks, when it becomes clear that the reason for Jaehyun’s scent being so muted is not his remarkable self-control. ‘I almost can’t smell you.’

Jaehyun doesn’t even blink before casually replying: ‘I got injections.’

‘You- _what?_ Why?’ Taeyong asks in bewilderment.

‘So it’d be easier for you to be around me.’ Jung rises his eyebrow and looks at omega like he’s dumb. ‘I don’t think we both want a repetition of what happened yesterday.’

Taeyong doesn’t know how to react. Receiving injections that minimize your scent is not exactly safe nor is it cheap. He can’t believe that Jaehyun just went and did that so Taeyong would be more comfortable. Does he really care that much? And alpha mentioning yesterday’s events so off-handedly makes Lee want to crawl somewhere and hide for his whole life - he remembers wanting to lick Jaehyun’s neck and he’s never been more embarrassed. Ever. A loud honks startles him and he turns back, seeing many cars having to bypass them as they have stopped in the middle.

‘We are causing a commotion,’ Taeyong notes, turning back to alpha. ‘Drive maybe?’

‘They’ll wait.’ Jaehyun doesn’t even turn, still staring at him. ‘So? Are you okay to go to the clinic or you don’t want to?’

Another honk and this time driver from another car shouts some curses at them before driving away. Jaehyun pays no attention, but Taeyong feels anxiety rising in him at the fact that they are disturbing so many people. He nods, but Jaehyun doesn’t move and omega groans inwardly.

‘If I say no…’

‘Then we’re not going.’ Jaehyun says firmly and Taeyong can’t help but smile at that.

‘Yes, I’m okay to go to the clinic.’ He says and alpha nods, turning and finally driving.

Car ride to the clinic spent in a silence between them, with soft tunes coming out from the radio. Taeyong has a lot of questions and tries to find a courage inside him to ask them. He wants to know why Jaehyun cares so much about his health. He wants to ask about that ‘another person’ because for some reason this thought just stuck in his mind. He wants to learn how alpha reached such a high level of self-control, because not once he showed on his face that Taeyong’s scent is affecting him somehow. And it should affect, even if Lee took two strong suppressants, they’re destined mates and Jaehyun still should be able to smell him. He was so deep in his thoughts that when car stopped he looked up, genially surprised. Omega didn’t notice how alpha chuckled at his expression nor did he notice how Jaehyun unfastened his seatbelt.

‘Before we go I need to tell you something.’ His manager says and Taeyong turns. Out of habit he starts playing with his fingers, but when Jaehyun notices it, he instantly stops. ‘It’s about your scent.’

Taeyong’s eyebrows furrow, but he says nothing, patiently waiting. Whatever it is, Jaehyun seems to be hesitant; he looks down and bites his lower lip, looking conflicted. This naturally makes omega nervous and Taeyong starts fidgeting again. Is he about to tell that he doesn’t like Taeyong’s scent? For some reason omega has a feeling that this will hurt him badly. Lee starts imagining various scenarios in his head but before he can get very far and spiral into a depressive state, Jaehyun shocks him with a simple:

‘I have anosmia.’

+=+

Once the words are out of his mouth Jaehyun feels a sense of relief wash over him. His disability is mostly treated as a secret, but it always feels good to just say it and not have to constantly think if the other person guessed that something is wrong with him on their own. Taeyong’s eyes widen and he stares at him in shock. Alpha decides to explain a little, so they’d be on the same ground:

‘I lost my sense of smell when I was seven. I can’t smell anything. Flowers, food, other people’s scents - nothing. Unfortunately, damage is permanent and I can’t do anything about it.’

‘You… you don’t know how I- _you don’t know what my scent is?_ ’

Jaehyun swallows. Taeyong looks so sad - like the possibility of Jaehyun not being able to scent him is the worst thing in this world. It tugs on alpha’s heart, because _god no_ , Taeyong’s not supposed to stare at him _like that_ with his bottom lip jutted out and his beautiful eyes blown wide - it only makes Jaehyun want to soothe him, calm him down, tell him that everything will be alright. It makes him want to do all of the things that alpha does to his mate and he _can’t_.

‘I know.’ He says and internally groans over how Taeyong’s expression immediately brightens up at that. _Why this kid is so goddamn cute?_ ‘I… This has to do with the fact that we’re destined mates.’ Jaehyun pauses, because this is the first time he addressed a big elephant in the room, but Taeyong looks absolutely unbothered, so he continues: ‘My sense of touch is heightened and when we touch your scent gets transmitted to me through the receptors. I know your scent, Taeyong.’

 _I know it very well_ , he wants to add but says nothing. Jaehyun stares at his passenger, who looks in awe of all the information that’s been given to him. He doesn’t say anything for few seconds, but then his fingers start to play with the hem of his jacket - a nervous habit that alpha noticed about him. Omega stares at his fingers and then looks up, hesitant.

‘So you are not… affected?’ He asks and immediately shakes his head, furiously blushing. ‘I mean, no! That was so wrong of me to say, I meant-’

‘I’m affected.’ Jaehyun lets out through gritted teeth and omega freezes with his hands still up. ‘Even when we didn’t touch, even when I can _tell_ that you’ve drowned yourself in scent blockers or suppressants today - I’m still affected.’

It’s true - even if they didn’t have any physical contact, Jaehyun still gets a whiff of omega’s scent. It’s very weak, not enough to cloud his mind or make it hard for him to concentrate, but it’s still there. And it has this medicine note to it, so alpha knows for sure that omega took very strong suppressants in the morning. This information sets Jaehyun on edge and he feels his old wounds tear open. He won’t let Taeyong repeat Chenle’s mistakes. Even if they won’t be together, even if whole destined mates thing is nothing but a load of bullshit, he won’t let another person damage their body because of him. When he looks up, Taeyong looks contemplating. It’s obvious that he’s unsure, just like it’s obvious that the scent thing means a lot to him; alpha decides to come clean, so there would be no uncertainties between them.

‘Most people probably think you smell like strawberries,’ he says, making sure that omega is looking at him and is listening carefully. ‘And you do, but you have something sour too. Your scent makes me think of a pink lemonade my grandfather made for me every summer.’

 _Your scent makes me think of home_ , he thinks, but again says nothing. Taeyong’s ears turn red too and he shyly looks at alpha, nodding. There’s a small smile on his lips and Jaehyun smiles back - lessening Taeyong’s worries made him feel surprisingly good.

‘Not many people know about my condition, so I’d appreciate if you won’t tell anyone.’

Taeyong solemnly nods, turning serious. ‘Of course, Mr.Jung. I won’t tell anyone.’

‘Call me Jaehyun.’

Jaehyun is not sure what made him say it. Taeyong certainly looks as surprised as he feels, because with ‘ _call me Jaehyun_ ’ he erases a line between them, one that divides them as manager and a worker. All Jaehyun knows that hearing ‘Mr.Jung’ from Taeyong wasn’t satisfying, it made him feel cold inside, like they’re not connected, when _they are_ \- even if it’s just on biology level. Taeyong chews on his bottom lip and nods, not looking at alpha. Preventing silence from growing more awkward Jaehyun exits the car and Taeyong follows. They don’t say a thing on their way to the clinic and Taeyong opens his mouth only when they enter elevator.

‘I wanted to ask if I’m… still a worker. In the company, I mean. I know you have policies against omegas and I don’t have an excuse for my actions.’

Jaehyun sees no trace of guilt in Taeyong’s eyes as he speaks and it should surprise him, but it doesn’t. It should anger him, but it doesn’t. Instead, alpha feels a rush of pride and satisfaction from his destined mate owning up for what he did, ready to face the consequences with a brave face.

‘You’re not fired, if that’s what you’re asking.’ He replies and smiles at the way Taeyong visibly sags in relief. ‘But I can’t close my eyes on behavior like that. You will have a punishment, that’s for sure, but you are still a member of my team.’

‘Thank you.’ Taeyong says and Jaehyun can hear and feel sincerity and gratefulness in his voice.

‘Thank me with your hard work on the project,’ Jaehyun replies somewhat coldly and Taeyong straightens up, nodding. ‘I don’t tolerate any slacking. And you being my… this whole situation is not giving you any additional credit. You’re on the same level with others, Lee Taeyong.’

‘I wouldn’t have let this situation change something!’ Taeyong hotly replies, enraged with the possibility that he could be seen as someone who will use this for his own benefit. ‘I’m not like that!’

Jaehyun raises one eyebrow, surprised on this outburst. ‘I don’t know how you are.’ He says and Taeyong deflates, taking a step back. ‘ _I don’t know you._ ’

Alpha senses that these words did sting omega as atmosphere turns heavy and charged with tension. He chooses to ignore it, because letting Taeyong’s emotions get into his head is the right way to fall for this boy and Jaehyun can’t. He’s not going to be a slave to his pheromones. They exit elevator and Jaehyun leads omega to the needed room. Awkwardness settles between them and it’s so different from what they had in the car when they talked about scents that Jung regrets saying what he did; he wishes to take it back and Taeyong’s closed up expression only makes him feel guiltier.

‘It’s here. His name is Kim Minho and I assure you that he’s one of the best in-’ Jaehyun stops when Taeyong grabs his wrist, stopping him from knocking on the door.

Touch sends little sparks throughout his body and he has to clench his jaw in order not to let out any sound. Jaehyun instantly gets warm all over once omega’s scent penetrates his receptors, his alpha instincts sharpening on alert. Taeyong doesn’t let go and looks with a rapt attention at Jung’s facial expression, noticing every single change and secretly loving the effect he’s seeing. Jaehyun doesn’t try to free his wrist and just looks at omega in a silent question, gritting his teeth. He knows he’s not the only one who’s having a reaction - Taeyong’s palm is sweaty and Jaehyun sees how he licks his lips twice before clearing his throat.

‘Before we come in I need to know your reasons.’ Taeyong says and his voice wavers only a little. ‘Why are you doing this? What are you after? What is in it for you? Am I just a charity case?’

Jaehyun frowns at the ‘charity case’. He tries to not make any quick or sharp movements and slowly turns his hand, grabbing Taeyong’s wrist instead. He tugs and Taeyong steps closer; Jaehyun feels rush of emotions inside him and he swears he can feel Taeyong’s hammering pulse under his fingertips. Alpha grips harder and omega gulps, but doesn’t back down, stubbornly staring in his eyes and refusing to step away. This makes Jaehyun want to smile - he admires Taeyong’s will and desire to not back down.

‘You’re not a charity case.’ He says firmly, pronouncing each word clearly and holding omega’s gaze. ‘I’m not after anything. There is nothing in this for me.’

‘Then why?’ Taeyong asks and Jaehyun can feel his annoyance. ‘Why are you doing this if you don’t have to? What is the reason?’

‘I already told you that I won’t let you ruin your health with all these suppressants. I can’t let you do this because of me, I’m not worth it.’

Jaehyun is aware how self-depreciating it sounds, but it’s true. He doesn’t wear a mask with Taeyong and omega’s gaze changes as he takes in alpha’s expression. His hand relaxes and he looks confused and sad, staring at Jaehyun with a silent ‘why? why do you think so?’ written in his face.

‘I’m taking responsibility for you.’ Jaehyun replies evenly and unconsciously steps closer, because boy in front of him pulls him in like a magnet.

‘Why?’ Taeyong repeats, leaning a bit closer into alpha’s space.

 _Because you are my mate_ , Jaehyun thinks. _Because you are my omega_. He doesn’t reply because Taeyong’s phone starts buzzing and he quickly turns, letting omega have some privacy. He lets go of the hand and Jaehyun doesn’t have to turn to know that Taeyong is disappointed in not getting the answer; in just two days he knows this omega enough to say that this question will be asked again. And again and again until Taeyong won’t get an answer.

‘Dr. Kim?’ Jaehyun opens the door and comes in, beckoning omega to do the same. ‘Taeyong came, just like you asked.’

Kim Minho smiles kindly at Taeyong, who bows and hides his phone in his pocket. They introduce themselves and then all sit down, while Dr. Kim is looking for a forms to sign.

‘If it’s something urgent then you can go,’ Jaehyun whispers, motioning to Taeyong’s phone.

‘No, it’s alright.’

Jaehyun feels a pang of annoyance over the fact that Taeyong didn’t tell him who exactly called. When he realizes _what_ he’s feeling it’s like a slap on the face - he can’t feel that way about Taeyong. He is someone over whom Jaehyun has no power or rights, it’s ridiculous to feel that way. Alpha spends several minutes contemplating his emotions and when he looks up he sees Taeyong engrossed in conversation with Dr.Kim.

‘Should I be present here?’ Jaehyun asks. ‘I’d rather go and not make Taeyong uncomfortable.’

‘I’d like to run a little test first and then you can go.’ Dr.Kim brings two watches and explains: ‘They will monitor your heartbeat. Mr.Lee, I’m sure you already know about Mr.Jung’s anosmia. Have he told you about touch receptors?’ Taeyong nods and hands another watch to Jaehyun, who takes it with curiosity. ‘I just need to check if there's any change in your heartbeat rate. Now, if you two would wear these watches and let me know the rate? Good. Now link hands, please?’

Taeyong turns, hesitantly reaching out. Jaehyun doesn’t think twice before grabbing his hand and interlacing their fingers. He knows his pulse spiked up because he feels it - this rush, this indescribable feeling of his mind emptying and leaving only thought of Taeyong inside. He hears beeping, but can’t look away from omega’s eyes. It was the first thing alpha noticed about Taeyong - his eyes. They sparkle like he’s a character of some Disney movie or an anime; they’re beautiful, they hold stars in them and turning away seems impossible.

‘From 82 to 143 for Mr. Lee and from 75 to 130 for Mr.Jung. Alright, thank you, you can give watches back to me.’ Dr.Kim says and turns to Taeyong. ‘Predictable reaction from being destined mates. Mr.Lee, you can smell your mate, right? Can you describe Mr.Jung’s scent to me?’

‘Um.’ Taeyong glances towards Jaehyun quickly and then back at the specialist in front of him. ‘Well…’

‘I can start, if you want,’ Dr.Kim says, sensing omega’s discomfort. ‘To me Mr.Jung smells like an expensive Italian leather. Like my couch at home, basically.’

Jaehyun rolls his eyes at this, but Taeyong giggles like a high school boy and alpha for a second gets enamored with this image of giggling omega with rosy cheeks. It warms his heart and he catches Dr.Kim looking at him with a knowing smile on his face, which makes Jung quickly look away in embarrassment.

‘Like leather, yes, but don’t you smell something citrusy? Distinct scent of oranges?’ Taeyong doesn’t look at his manager, but he’s still blushing profusely.

‘Most of the people can smell only the base of the scent, but destined mates can pick up other notes and that’s why it’s always easy to distinguish them from others.’ Dr.Kim turns to Jaehyun: ‘I have to discuss suppressants and scent blockers with Mr.Lee, so in order to not make him uncomfortable I would like to ask you to leave us alone until further notice.’

Jaehyun stands up. He glances at Taeyong in question and when omega doesn’t look up at him, he asks out loud:

‘Are you alright with this?’

His worker looks puzzled for a second but then smiles and nods. His eyes shine with something close to appreciation and Jaehyun is not ready to see these eyes sparkle like that towards him, so he simply nods and exits. His heart is heavy, because it’s almost like a deja vu: Jaehyun has been here _before_ , left _another omega_ in exactly this office before and it didn’t end good. Alpha just hopes that this time he’s not late.

+=+

Taeyong’s head is full with information when he exits Dr.Kim’s room. They have discussed his pills and Taeyong was told to wait for at least two days before Dr.Kim will come back to him with new suppressants that won’t cause much harm to his body. Everything about this morning is weird to Taeyong: from being in a doctor’s office and reciting all pills he takes to Jaehyun’s behavior. Mr.Jung is like a puzzle that Taeyong can’t solve simply because he doesn’t have all of the pieces: he knows there’s a meaning to all of the alpha’s actions, but he doesn’t know him or his history, so all of the actions make no sense. Omega waits in the corridor, fidgeting with his fingers. He has so many questions in his head that he doesn’t even know where to start from. Should he learn more about Jaehyun? About that ‘another guy’? About their possible future as destined mates? How are they going to deal with this? He tried to fish for any information from Dr.Kim, but older man just shook his head and told omega gently that everything he wants to learn he should ask from Jaehyun himself. That wasn’t very helpful, but Taeyong understood reasoning behind it, so he just nodded to the doctor. ( _‘I guess you’re feeling uneasy because of this whole situation. It’s not common and we do know very little about destined mates, but I want to tell you something and I’m not saying this just to ease your nerves. Believe me when I say that Mr.Jung will never hurt you. He’s a brilliant young man and he may come off as cold, but his heart is at the right place. You can trust him, Mr.Lee. He has good intentions.’_ ) Strangely enough - and maybe some people will think it’s dumb - Taeyong trusted Jaehyun. He had absolutely no reason for it and this feeling can’t be explained in simple terms, but he knew Jaehyun won’t cause him any harm. Omega just knew and knew it very confidently that Jung Jaehyun is not a threat. Is he an _ally_ though? That’s another question. Taeyong still tried to wrap his head around the situation. He can’t deny that having alpha care about his health like that makes him feel giddy inside; same feeling he gets when he knows he’s caught an eye of someone he wanted to make an impression on. But on the other side he’s confused: what are they? Are they trying to be friends? Jaehyun certainly shows no signs of wanting to get closer to Taeyong. Even his ‘call me Jaehyun’ sounded like he was uncomfortable with being called Mr.Jung apart from work, not like he wanted both of them to warm up to each other.

‘Taeyong?’ Jaehyun calls out and omega turns to the right. ‘Sorry, I thought you’d be in there longer, I went to check few things myself. You should have called when you finished, so you don’t wait for me here.’

‘It’s alright,’ Taeyong replies and his voice lacks any emotions, which makes alpha pause. Jaehyun scans him with his gaze and omega clears his throat, getting uncomfortable. ‘Should we go?’

Jaehyun nods. ‘I thought we could have a breakfast during which I will brief you in our current project.’

‘Sure.’

The conversation is so impersonal and stale that Taeyong cringes inwardly. Ride to the nearest cafe for a breakfast was spent in silence and by the end of it omega almost jumped out of the car, not bearing suffocating awkwardness. He was a bit ashamed of his outburst in the elevator, but Jaehyun’s cold ‘I don’t know you’ served like cold water - put him out of the emotions spiral and back into a logical and harsh world. It is the truth and just like any truth it’s painful to hear. Taeyong never thought about destined mates in his adulthood, but when he was in high school he always imagined it’d be something close to all these romantic movies: they meet accidentally, they realize that they are destined mates and fall in love easily. Jaehyun and Taeyong got first two parts covered, but third one now seems almost unrealistic. Would Taeyong be interested in Jaehyun if they met in some bar? Yes. His manager is as handsome as all popular celebrities, of course Taeyong would have looked twice at him. But it’s not just appearance; Jaehyun’s aura, his scent, even his voice - everything spikes curiosity in Lee, makes him want to get closer. Jaehyun gives off cold, close to dangerous vibes - the ones that scream ‘come closer at your own risk’ and Taeyong is helplessly drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Is it simply because of the scent? No. Taeyong is honest enough with himself to admit that even if they weren’t destined mates and Jaehyun was on scent blockers when they met, he’d still be interested. And that is _terrifying_.

‘Ready to order?’ Jaehyun asks and Taehyong blinks twice before refocusing his attention on the menu page. ‘Waiter is coming.’

When young looking girl with a friendly smile stops by near them Taeyong automatically smiles back. She looks like she’s in high school and by the way she keeps biting her lower lip, stutters when she asks about their order and anxiously turns to look at the boss, he can tell that it’s her first day here.

‘One english breakfast set, please.’ Jaehyun orders, giving menu back.

‘I’d like to have a simple omelette with a side salad and a cup of tea.’ Taeyong says and then adds quietly: ‘You’re doing great. Relax, I’ll leave you a tip.’

Girl smiles, blushing. She recites their orders and bows before leaving. Taeyong smiles, watching her skip to the kitchen, probably happy that her first client said something encouraging. When omega looks up Jaehyun is watching him with an interest, hands locked underneath his chin.

‘Why did you do it?’

Taeyong shrugs. ‘I could tell that it’s her first day here. She’s really nervous and I can relate, I’ve also worked part-time as a waiter in cafe when I was in high school. I know how nerve-wrecking it can be, so I thought I’d cheer her up.’

Jaehyun looks thoughtful, staring at omega without blinking. ‘You worked as a waiter in high school?’

The question is so sudden and unexpected that Taeyong chokes on his own spit. He blushes and clears his throat, seeing Jaehyun frown at this. Omega’s thrown off by a personal question, because this is a new territory for them and it surprised him how alpha seemed to be genuinely interested.

‘I..’

‘Forget it, I shouldn’t have asked.’ Jaehyun interrupts, sounding annoyed at himself. ‘It’s too personal.’

‘No, it’s-’

‘I’d like to start telling you about the project. Wendy told me you’ve already looked through some documentation?’

Taeyong bites his tongue. Jaehyun’s closed off now, his expression a stoic mask of professionalism and omega sighs to himself. He lost the moment. But he doesn’t dwell on it - work is important and if he’s lucky enough to not be fired then Taeyong’s going to put everything in the work and prove that he’s a great asset.

Discussion about the project takes up their whole time at cafe and with the help of it Taeyong learns more about his manager. Jaehyun is meticulous about details, very organized and has very high expectations of each member of his team. His sense of responsibility is on the highest level, just like his intolerance to mistakes and excuses. Just like Taeyong predicted, Jaehyun is harsh and expects complete obedience in his orders and for tasks to be carried perfectly, because failure is not an option. However, despite an image of a strict and ruthless manager, he’s very patient with explaining everything to Taeyong, always answering his questions fully and pointing out important moments, making sure that omega understood everything before moving on to another topic. It quickly becomes clear that whatever high expectations Jaehyun has on his team - expectations he has from himself are even higher. Taeyong admires that drive, this desire to be the best and then become even better. Lee listens to everything carefully, asks relevant questions and stocks up everything important in his memory. He’s surprised with how easy it is to talk with Jaehyun about work - he has no reservations, doesn’t have to think twice before asking something and can hold alpha’s gaze, not turning away. Job itself is challenging: new models, new systems, new KPIs. Taeyong is both intimidated and a bit scared, but ultimately excited to learn something new and broaden his skills and competencies.

‘You can pay a visit to the factory, if you want. The building, whole system that they set up there is quite impressive.’ Jaehyun says and asks for a check. ‘But you need to arrange it with them first.’

‘I’d love to go!’

Taeyong finishes his cup of tea and grabs his bag in order to get his wallet. Girl brings check to Jaehyun and stands not so far from them, ready to take payment.

‘How much is it?’

‘Hm?’ Jaehyun looks up and when he sees Taeyong’s wallet he only shakes his head. ‘It’s on me.’

‘What? No, Mr.Jung-’

‘I asked you to call me Jaehyun.’ Alpha interrupts him and puts his credit card into a little wooden box along with a check. ‘And this meal is on me. It’s not up for a discussion.’

He hands girl the box and she takes it, bowing slightly. She turns to Taeyong and he beckons her to come closer, fishing out ten dollar bill from his wallet. Jaehyun’s mouth opens but then promptly shuts up when Taeyong gives girl money with a quiet ‘here’s the tip’. Girl positively glows and Taeyong smiles, letting out ‘fighting!’ in a cute way that makes their waiter giggle. He doesn’t see it, but Jaehyun stares at him with wonder, chuckling at omega’s antics and muttering low ‘ _cute_ ’ under his breath.

‘Thank you for the treat,’ Taeyong says politely, once they exit the cafe. ‘It was delicious.’

‘You’re welcome.’ Jaehyun smiles kindly, leading way to his car. ‘Next stop for me is our office, but I told Irene that you’re out for the day. I can drive you to your house-’

‘No, I’d like to go to the office and grab documents that Wendy left for me about the case. I want to read them throughly and I think by tomorrow morning I will email you a rough outline of how I see stocks working during such a hard time for them and a draft of a reselling procedure.’ Taeyong fastens his seatbelt and looks up, feeling alpha’s gaze on him. ‘What?’

Jaehyun blinks, shaking himself out of a stupor. ‘Nothing. I like your enthusiasm. It’s not something I see a lot from young specialists out there.’

‘Haechan looks pretty enthusiastic to me.’ Taeyong notes and Jaehyun lets out a loud snort on this, shaking his head, but he looks ultimately very fond and omega latches on that, wanting to learn more. ‘And Jungwoo too. All of them are like that, to be honest.’

‘I picked my team well.’ Jaehyun says and pride is evident in his voice. ‘They are all hard-working enthusiasts and they do well. Most of the time, at least.’

‘Now I’m a part of your team as well,’ Taeyong says quietly and sees how Jaehyun pauses. ‘We’ve started off from a wrong foot, but I’d like you to know that I am very responsible and hard-working, and I will do my absolute best in order to make this project a success.’

There’s a determined glint in Taeyong’s eyes and Jaehyun fights hard to keep his expression neutral and not smile. The thing is - he knows all of it. He just _knows_ that Taeyong is a great addition to his team, knows that this boy will only help them reach their goal. His gut is telling him that Taeyong is a savior of this project… and maybe not only project.

‘If all that talk would be put into action that’d be great,’ Jaehyun answers. ‘I believe that actions speak louder than words.’

 _Actions speak louder than words_. Jaehyun drove him to a private clinic to see one of the best specialists in the country. Jaehyun made it clear that Taeyong’s opinion matters, always gave him a possibility to change his mind and made sure that Taeyong was comfortable with Dr.Kim before leaving him alone. Jaehyun didn’t fire him and paid for him in the cafe. Taeyong bites his lower lip, feeling butterflies rise in his stomach.

‘Yeah, they do.’ He agrees and turns to alpha, suddenly feeling bold. If actions speak louder than words then Jaehyun cares. He cares a lot and this is enough for Taeyong to clear his throat and say before he runs out of the bravery: ‘I’d like to get to know you better.’ When alpha doesn’t say anything and doesn’t even turn to look at him, omega quickly comes up with an excuse: ‘Dr.Kim said that effect that your scent has on me won’t be that strong if I get used to it. I think we should be in each other’s presence for a while, so my body won’t go haywire when you’re around. It’d be good for you too. If I… you know. Um.’

‘If you touch me.’ Jaehyun finishes for him and omega can only nod in response. ‘Did Dr.Kim say anything else that can be somewhat important for me?’

‘That I’m not allowed to take suppressants until he gives me new ones. I guess I have to work from home these two days. I’ll talk to Irene-’

‘I’ll handle it,’ Jaehyun interrupts, not looking away from the road. ‘Just do what Dr.Kim said and I’ll take care of the rest.’

Taeyong nods. Alpha didn’t reply to his suggestion and he feels stupid for even mentioning it. Doubts start to gnaw on his mind and replays ‘ _I’ll take care of the rest_ ’ again and again; what is it? Just Mr.Jung acting like a responsible alpha? Is this him showing that he cares? Why he is so hard to understand?

‘Are you single?’ Jaehyun asks and Taeyong gives himself a whiplash from how fast he turned around. ‘Apologies if it’s too personal, I just think it’s important to know considering that you and I are…’

‘I’m single.’ Taeyong replies, sensing alpha’s discomfort. ‘And I’m not, well, you can already tell, but yeah I’m not bonded to anyone. Are you?’

Jaehyun glances at him and then quickly looks back at the road, clenching his jaw. ‘I don’t have a significant other too.’

Taeyong hates how this information makes him want to sigh with relief. This is what he feared the most - Jaehyun already having a mate and being in love with someone else. Huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders and omega feels lighter. He relaxes and notices Jaehyun watching him from a corner of the eye, amused at the expression of relief on omega’s face.

‘You seem very happy of the fact that I’m single.’ Jaehyun says, chuckling.

‘What?!’ Taeyong almost shouts and then blushes, when Jaehyun starts laughing.

His laugh is melodious and makes him look much younger - Taeyong can’t help but freeze and stare. This is the first time he saw his manager laugh and it makes his heart skip a beat at first only to then start beating two times faster. This light teasing makes him feel warm, like yet another bridge was crossed. They start talking about work and by the time they arrive to the parking lot of their office building Taeyong feels as comfortable with Jaehyun as he does with his own friends.

‘Wait, Taeyong.’ Jaehyun stops him when omega is about to unfasten his seatbelt and go. ‘About your suggestion earlier.’

Taeyong pauses, swallowing. He thought alpha forgot or decided to ignore it. ‘Yes?’

Jaehyun stares at him, thoughtful. He licks his lips and omega is ashamed of the way he can’t stop himself from doing the same; his eyes follow the movement of the tongue and it’s so obvious that he might as well just tell Jaehyun that he wants to kiss him right here and now. Alpha’s gaze fixes on his mouth and Taeyong swears he hears a short hitch in his manager’s breath.

‘Jaehyun..’ Taeyong calls and on impulse covers his manager’s hand with his own.

They both realize that this is the first time he called alpha by his name. It rolls from his tongue on reflex and Jung looks stunned at first, but then leans closer. Omega feels sparks washing over his body from where their hands touch and he knows that alpha feels them too; if Jaehyun’s scent makes Taeyong’s knees turn into jelly, then what does Taeyong’s touch do to Jaehyun? Alpha looks at their jointed hands and gently intertwines their fingers. His thumb starts tracing Taeyong’s pulse point and omega shivers, when Jaehyun grips a bit tighter. Anticipations builds up in the car, air heavy with tension and Taeyong is afraid to move, scared to do something that will break it. He tries to discreetly inhale and Jung’s scent fills him up, but that’s not what makes Taeyong gasp - it’s the notes of light arousal, of suppressed desire that he picks up in the scent. His eyes widen and when he looks up at alpha, he notices his dilated pupils and rigidness of his posture.

‘Jaehyun..’ Taeyong whispers and grip in his wrist tightens. ‘ _Please._.’

The force of the kiss catches Taeyong off guard. He doesn’t know what possessed him to say ‘please’ and he has no idea what he was asking for, but when Jaehyun roughly pulls him closer by nape of the neck, omega only opens his mouth, gasping. Their teeth clash and it’s uncomfortable at first, but then Jaehyun turns his head to the left and their mouths mold perfectly together like they are long-term lovers who know exactly how to kiss each other. Taeyong throws away all caution and leans forward, his hands sliding up Jaehyun’s arms and stopping on his shoulders, gripping them for any leverage. Kiss makes him delirious with stark contrasts: how rough Jaehyun pulls him in, but how gently he places his hands on both sides of Taeyong’s cheeks. Jaehyun’s fingers caress omega’s cheekbones as he deepens the kiss, sucking on Taeyong’s tongue. Lee melts, letting out little moans and tries to get even closer to alpha, but seatbelt restricts his movements. _He wants more_.

‘God dammit, Taeyong..’ Jaehyun mutters, when omega bites his lower lip and then proceeds to pepper his chin with little kisses. ‘ _Fuck._ ’

Taeyong whines high, loving his breathless alpha sounds, how his name is almost like a plea. Jaehyun looks disheveled, his eyes blown wide, his lips full and rosy and omega hums in satisfaction because he did that. Jaehyun’s hand fall from his face and land on Taeyong’s waist, gripping. It stops omega from reaching forward, but he manages few kitten licks on alpha’s jaw before Jung pulls away from him with a pinched look on his face.

‘No, we need to stop.’ Jaehyun says forcefully and squeezes his omega’s waist.

Taeyong obediently sits back, even when everything inside him screams to undo that seatbelt and climb onto alpha’s lap. He never felt anything like this from a simple kiss. Taeyong’s breathing is irregular, his mind hazy with Jung’s scent and he knows he’s aroused and that is just from the kiss.

‘Holy fuck.’ He lets out and Jaehyun darkly chuckles at that.

‘We can’t,’ Jaehyun starts and then clears his throat. ‘We can’t do this just because we are both single and our pheromones are going insane. I… I apologize. That was very irresponsible of me.’

Taeyong wants to scoff at that. For how long Jaehyun is going to act all high and mighty? He knows there’s logic and truth in his statement but in a current state Taeyong doesn’t care. All he knows is that if this is what they feel from a simple kiss it means they are something. Destined mates, yes, but more than that. This is pure magic in omega’s mind and he stares at alpha with wonder. Jaehyun catches his gaze and curses, pulling his hands away from his waist.

‘Don’t look at me like that.’ He whispers and it’s a hidden plea in it that makes omega reign in all of his feelings.

‘You can’t deny it,’ omega says, taking deep breath. ‘It’s in your scent, it’s in this kiss… You can’t deny it.’

‘I’m not denying it, I just don’t want us to jump into something because of hormones. We don’t know each other-’

‘Then get to know me!’ Taeyong lets out, impatient. ‘ _Get to know me!_ You’re not even trying! Destined mates are so rare and listen, I’m also not a huge fan of this and we can’t change it. But we have to give it a try, don’t you think so? If fate brought us together, if out of thousands of people and possibilities it’s you and I… don’t you think it’s not a coincidence?’

‘Being destined mates is not a guarantee for happily ever after, Taeyong.’ Jaehyun says, looking at the boy in front of him.

‘I know that and that’s why I don’t want to treat it like us being destined mates means we’ll be happy for sure. But maybe we can just…’ Taeyong gestures wildly, not being able to pick up the right word. ‘We can… I don’t know, just _try_? Not to force ourselves into anything, but just try to get to know each other? Who knows, maybe you and I will become best friends? And if it stays just like that then so be it. No pressure to make a romantic relationship out of this.’

Jaehyun mulls over it and Taeyong tries not to get anxious. He wasn’t disrespectful, was he? Or did he breach that line? But he knows he did the right thing, because one of them has to take the risk. And if Jaehyun is the one who’s taking responsibility then Taeyong will be the one to take the risk. He sees it in alpha’s eyes, feels it in his bones - Jaehyun _wants_ it, but he’s being cautious. And he’s afraid. Taeyong doesn’t know where this fear is coming from, but he’s not going to judge. Lee never was the one to back down from a challenge and he’s not going to lose his chance on happiness: Jaehyun may not end up being the one for him, but he’ll be damned if he won’t try. Alpha sighs and taps on the steering wheel two times before turning to him.

‘What are you doing these weekend?’ He asks and Taeyong bites his lower lip, feeling excitement rising up in him.

‘No plans so far.’ Lee replies, trying not to show how giddy he feels.

‘I’ll pick you up on Saturday.’ Jaehyun announces and smiles a little. ‘Deal?’

Taeyong wants to smile widely and fist bump Jaehyun, but settles for a nod of his head. ‘Deal.’

+=+

‘A farewell party for Ten!’ Mark exclaims enthusiastically.

Sicheng blinks, still not being able to process the fact that Ten will no longer work in Starbucks. Their manager nods, for once smiling and letting his workers do something fun. There are seven of them, all suggesting different ideas for the theme of the party, talking about what to bring and who to invite - Sicheng blends into the background just like he usually does and everyone forgets that he’s even there, because beta stays silent. Ten applied to a ballet academy a while ago and everyone forgot about it, when alpha stormed in yesterday with an acceptance letter. Sicheng heard from Mark that Ten looked so happy and proud that even their strict manager hugged him and wished him all the best.

‘Maybe we should make it a karaoke night?’ Jeno suggests. ‘I heard Ten singing, he’s really good!’

‘Or a masquerade? Oh, wait, I know, how about we make it like pre-Halloween?’

Beta stands up and quietly exits their changing room. They all were gathered for discussion way too early and he didn’t feel comfortable being surrounded by so many people in such a small place. Sicheng checks his phone and when he sees two missed calls from Xiaojun he sighs loudly, putting phone back in the pocket. He’s not ready yet. It’s very hard for Sicheng to coordinate his thoughts and understand what he’s feeling: his whole life he’s been told that being so sensitive is very unbeta-like and he learned to ignore all of the impulses and not think much about them. Now he just doesn’t know how he should feel. Part of him feels like he’s making a really big deal out of something regular, but another part feels like his whole world turned over. Friends don’t kiss friends. Friends don’t do anything remotely sexual with their friends. Betas don’t mess around with omegas and other betas. _This is so wrong_. Plus he’s so worried for Taeyong that it makes him sick. His omega roommate wasn’t at home when he woke up, which meant that he went to work. Even when Sicheng called Taeyong was very short and just told him the he shouldn’t worry, but how can he not? Sicheng felt like he’s about to topple over, when two strong arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him to the side. Beta’s back meets a sturdy chest and when scent of sea salt fills his nostrils Sicheng relaxes, leaning into Ten’s embrace. Alpha holds him closer, resting his chin on beta’s shoulder.

‘You shouldn’t be here,’ Sicheng whispers. ‘They are discussing your farewell party over there.’

‘Glad I came, you looked like you’re about to fall.’ Alpha says and gently rubs beta’s stomach. ‘You good? Want to sit down?’

‘I’m good,’ Sicheng answers and tries to move, but alpha doesn’t let him. ‘It’s okay, Ten. I’m not going to fall.’

Thai alpha reluctantly loosens his hold and lets beta slip away. Sicheng turns and smiles, but Ten sees no real happiness behind it and he frowns at that. Sicheng still tugs at his heart and Ten can’t help but want to protect this boy.

‘What happened?’ Ten asks and Sicheng shakes his head. ‘Tell me, I’ll help.’

Beta stubbornly shakes his head and Ten sighs. It was naive to think that Sicheng will just suddenly tell what’s on his mind. When boy moves to the side, going towards a refrigerator Ten catches his wrist and again pulls him in his arms.

‘Will you come to my farewell party?’ Ten asks and locks his arms around Sicheng’s waist, not letting him go.

‘Of course,’ Sicheng puts his hands on top of alpha’s. ‘I didn’t get to say it, but I’m happy for you. I’m glad you got in, you deserve it very much.’

Ten smiles and coos, nuzzling his nose into beta’s cheek and making him squirm. ‘Thank you, angel. Thank you very much.’

Sicheng blushes at the nickname. He doesn’t have a crush on Ten anymore, but older alpha always manages to leave him flustered. They stay in silence, hearing literally everything what other workers discuss about upcoming party. Mark’s ideas make them both chuckle.

‘Pretend you didn’t hear a thing,’ Sicheng asks and Ten snorts. ‘I’m serious, you didn’t hear a thing about party!’

‘What party? I don’t know about any party!’

Sicheng chuckles. Ten starts to sway them and beta laughs, letting older alpha do as he pleases. Ten nudges Sicheng’s foot with his knee, making other boy take steps to the side and follow the rhythm. Sicheng doesn’t face the door, so he doesn’t turn when bell chimes signaling of a new customer. Ten hums into his ear, holding him close and it’s… nice. They both pause when someone clears throat. Ten lets Sicheng go and when beta turns around he freezes in shock, seeing familiar alpha close to the counter. Today he looks even more handsome: he’s wearing black satin button down with black trousers, hair slicked back and it really should be a crime to look like that. Sicheng knows he looks stupid stuck like that, but he can’t look away from this man.

‘What would you like to order, sir?’ Ten asks, taking Mark’s place.

‘One espresso con pana and a chocolate muffin on the go, please. Name’s Lucas. Thanks.’

 _Lucas._ His name rings loudly in Sicheng’s head and he only moves when Ten not so subtly pushes him towards his place. Beta turns and starts preparing the drink, feeling alpha’s gaze on him. The thought of a handsome stranger did cross his mind, but it was fleeting, because Sicheng never thought he’d see him again. For some reason his heart was hammering in his chest and when beta turned to the side he saw alpha leaning on the wall close to him, watching him closely.

‘Hi,’ he says and his low voice makes beta shiver. Sicheng only nods in response not trusting his voice not to break if he opens his mouth. ‘I, um, wanted to apologize for the last time. I wouldn’t have called you ‘cutie’ and act like this if I knew you had a boyfriend. I’m sorry.’

It takes Sicheng three seconds to realize what Lucas is talking about and it’s three seconds too long. When he opens his mouth to speak, Lucas is already talking about his sketch he saw last time and how he wants to see it again. He says stuff about his company and why exactly he needs to see it, but Sicheng’s head swims with ‘you had a boyfriend’ and he can’t concentrate on anything beyond that. Making Lucas understand that he doesn’t have a boyfriend is extremely important and Sicheng has no time in trying to figure out why; it just is and he needs to act quickly.

‘I don’t,’ he says, interrupting Lucas, who pauses in surprise. Sicheng clears his throat, hands him the drink and carries on: ‘Have a boyfriend, I mean. I don’t have a boyfriend.’

Lucas takes the drink and turns towards Ten, who is very busy pretending he’s not eavesdropping and doing a very shitty job of it. Lucas eyes Thai alpha in an assessing manner and when he turns to Sicheng, an intent is clear in his gaze, corners of his lips slowly lifting until he’s grinning full force. He looked somber before but now that he’s smiling happily beta thinks that it suits alpha so much more; his grin literally spreads warmth that reaches the darkest corners of his heart.

‘You don’t have a boyfriend,’ Lucas says and Sicheng nods. _‘Good.’_

‘Your chocolate muffin, sir,’ Ten calls and Lucas nods, but doesn’t look away from Sicheng, muttering that he’ll be back.

Sicheng has few seconds to catch his breath and calm down before alpha appears in front of him again. Weirdly enough beta can’t catch his scent this time and he realizes that alpha is wearing scent blockers. It makes him unconsciously frown and he hopes he didn’t let his own scent slip away: beta having such a strong scent is not normal and may scare away others. Sicheng doesn’t know Lucas, but he’s not taking any chances on that.

‘Winwin, right?’ Lucas motions to the name tag on beta’s chest. ‘So what do you say? We can meet up when you have a break or when it’s comfortable for you. I promise I’m not some sketchy guy, I can give you my business card and you can run some background check and everything!’ Alpha pulls out standard black business card and hands it to Sicheng. ‘I just… I’m keeping you from work now, shit. Can you please give me a call? I can explain everything in detail and if you won’t like to cooperate then it’s fine, no pressure.’

Sicheng turns card around and reads ‘Wong Lucas, PR Manager of SC’. There’s his email address and two phone numbers, plus a logo of SC on a card. It’s strangely familiar, but beta can’t pinpoint where exactly he saw that logo. He looks up and Lucas is watching him with hopeful eyes.

‘Okay,’ beta simply says and it’s enough to make grin appear on alpha’s face.

‘Okay,’ Lucas echoes and grabs his drink and muffin. ‘Thanks, Winwin.’

‘Sicheng.’ Beta corrects.

Sicheng doesn’t know what has gotten into him. Being around Lucas apparently turns his mind into jelly and adds bravery into his character, because he’s never acted like this. When he first started working in this place he preferred to have his nickname on the tag, feeling weirdly secretive of his own name, not wanting strangers to call him by it. But it’s different with Lucas. Alpha looks surprised and Sicheng can feel Ten’s gaze burning his back. He never lets some passing by person learn his name. Hell, every worker in Starbucks call him by his nickname, mostly.

‘Sicheng,’ Lucas repeats and licks his lower lip, making beta blush. Alpha looks contemplating, like he’s doubting his next step and Sicheng momentarily tenses up, when man in front of him leans closer, so their faces are inches apart. ‘It’s Yukhei for you. _Wong Yukhei_.’

Warm breath makes goosebumps appear on beta’s skin and he leans back when alpha winks and exits the cafe, taking away his drink, muffin and Sicheng’s beating heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WAYV IS BACK!! please go and watch their MV on youtube and give a listen to their 1st album! babies have worked so hard and i'm so full of emotions rn :') 
> 
> ok back to chapter: woop-woop, a kiss! i hope you like how relationship between taeyong and jahyun are developing!! as always let me know what you think, your comments make my day 💜love you all very much and i'm sending each and every single one of you kisses on the cheek from me bc y'all are cute and you deserve it 💜
> 
> aaaand come to my tumblr to have a chat! http://sentimentaals.tumblr.com


	8. chapter 8 (part one). a little party never killed nobody

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter will have two parts: one about jaehyun and taeyong (this one) and the other about lucas and sicheng. 
> 
> in the second part of this chapter things that are in italics are lyrics of the songs. check them out to get the whole vibe and to just update your playlist with some good music ;)

Taeyong’s mood was very high through out rest of the week. Jaehyun’s promise of picking him up at the weekend kept him giddy at nights, squealing into his pillow like a fifteen year old teenager from any soapy tv show, but he didn’t care. Of course this didn’t go unnoticed by his roommate, but Sicheng was always tactful enough not to pry into anyone’s personal life; beta believed in a ‘if you want to you’ll tell, if not then not’ approach and just asked Taeyong if everything is okay with his job position.

‘I will have a punishment, most likely they will cut down my first salary by some percentage, but I’m not fired,’ he replied and smiled at the way Sicheng sighed in relief. ‘Yeah, I had the same reaction.’

‘And your manager?’

‘We are… dealing with it.’ Taeyong replied.

Sicheng stared for few moments but then nodded and didn’t ask any more questions. Omega wanted to smother him in kisses for that; he wasn’t sure if he’s ready to tell about kiss and visit to the clinic. All of that was forgotten when he got swamped with work. Not being able to go to the office until Dr.Kim finds fitting suppressants for him, he stayed at home and fully dived into the case. Taeyong was working day and nights, had many video calls with other members of the team along with a manager. Jaehyun not once made it somehow seem that Taeyong is someone special and omega was thankful for that; he didn’t want to receive recognition for something other than his abilities. Lee was happy to learn that none of the team members thought anything about him for skipping first week of work like that; they all appeared to be concerned for his health and Wendy even volunteered to cook him chicken soup if he’s sick. It was all very cute and made Taeyong felt included, like he’s a part of their team and while he is technically, getting accepted on a more than just professional level is an important and hard task. He’s happy that he seemed to somehow pass the test of likeness, because Haechan and Jungwoo immediately started acting like he’s their ‘bro’ during those video calls and it was heartwarming. Sometimes their jokes would go so far that they’d calm down only after Jaehyun’s exasperated and strict ‘ _boys! head back in the case’_. Being not with them, but sitting on the other side of the screen, Taeyong noticed a lot of things. Omega in general was very good with that - noticing smallest details, things on which most people don’t pay attention or what passes their judgement without a blink. He noticed how Wendy cleared her throat and twirled a strand of her hair between fingers before addressing Jaehyun, obviously thinking highly of him and also being intimidated by his cold persona. Or how behind Haechan’s goofy facade hides very smart professional, who talks bluntly with little regard to how other person is feeling. How Jungwoo liked to crack his knuckles when he was concentrated and stick his tongue out when he talked to Wendy. Of course he noticed Yeri’s blushing cheeks whenever Jaehyun opened his mouth and her overall starstruck facial expression when she stared at their manager. Her obvious crush on Jung Jaehyun made Taeyong feel weird: from one side whole thing irritated him to no end but from another side he felt pity. Who knows, maybe Jaehyun is bisexual and girls interest him as much as guys do, but even if that was the case then girl like Yeri wouldn’t stand a chance. She’s too quiet, too unassuming; Taeyong noticed how satisfied Jaehyun looks when he speaks his mind, makes risky suggestions and brings new ideas on the table. He noticed how Jaehyun would clench his jaw when Yeri starts stuttering or takes too long to answer; Taeyong mostly felt bad for the girl, because her crush will forever stay unrequited. But on other note - Jaehyun did not lie when he said that he made up a team of professionals. Every person was strong in his/her own respective area and troubles appeared only two or more functions had to work together. They listened closely to Taeyong’s suggestions and he was happy to receive any comments on his ideas and discuss them. When he sent Jaehyun a draft of the matrix and his manager replied with short: ‘Good job. Approved.’ omega felt so relieved and motivated to do better that he could cry. He managed to schedule a tour on the fabric and received suppressants from Dr.Kim two days after with a very detailed instruction. ( _‘You can take them every morning before you go to work. They are not harmful like your old suppressants, because they don’t work to mute your scent. Instead they just mask it with a neutral smell, the one of any other beta. Take two pills every morning five times a week. I would suggest to not use them in the weekends and if you get sick, please give me a call and I will subscribe other medicaments.’_ ) Omega feels better now than he has suppressants that are fitted for his body and he happily showed them off to Sicheng.

‘How do you know this Dr.Kim?’ His roommate asked, making both of them tea.

‘Jaehyun introduced me to him, he’s one of the best in the country,’ Taeyong answered and bit his tongue, cursing himself for being such an idiot, when beta’s eyebrows raised.

‘Jaehyun introduced you to his own specialist,’ Sicheng summarized and Taeyong hesitantly nodded. ‘So you two finally addressed a big elephant in the room?’

‘We are talking,’ Taeyong replied, feeling awful for not telling everything to his friend. ‘It’s a work in progress.’

Sicheng didn’t look convinced at all, but in his usual manner, he didn’t ask anything else. Taeyong couldn’t just spill everything to his friend: he wanted first to be sure himself, so beta won’t be constantly worried for him. His roommate did come off as cold, but he cared so much and so deeply that Taeyong always was careful about adding more worries on his shoulders. But he wasn’t the only one who wasn’t telling all truth; omega noticed how he didn’t hear a thing about Xiaojun or Hendery from his friend and Sicheng’s mood was rather low these days. When Taeyong gently tried to breach this subject and just asked how Xiaojun is feeling after his heat, tips of Sicheng’s ears turned so red and beta got so uncomfortable, that Taeyong quickly changed the subject. He knew his friend was going through an inner turmoil and coaxing the truth out of him is a lost cause - Sicheng will never speak under pressure. So Taeyong waited for two days and on the third his roommate finally cracked. ‘Yongie,’ Sicheng called, coming into Taeyong’s room. It was eight pm and they were laying in their rooms after dinner.

‘Are you busy?’ Matrix needed to be finished and excel file has been open for two hours now, but omega shakes his head and shuts his laptop, patting space on the bed next to him. Sicheng climbed and laid his head on thighs of his older friend and sighed, when gentle fingers started massage his scalp. ‘You were working,’ Sicheng stated. ‘Are you sure you’re not busy?’

‘You’re my number one, Sichengie. Any work can wait,’ Taeyong reminded and ruffled his hair. ‘Now tell me everything. For real.’

When beta opened up, Taeyong was surprised. And angry. You had to be blind to not see how Hendery and Xiaojun looked at Sicheng, but Taeyong never said anything about it to his roommate, because both guys didn’t seem like they will somehow act on their feelings. Especially Xiaojun, who seemed to bask in any attention Sicheng’s been giving him, not asking for more. If anything, Taeyong thought they will stay close friends at least till the end of university and their secret love for Sicheng will stay as it is - a secret. So of course he was surprised by boldness of Xiaojun and Hendery’s actions, but if Xiao was in heat and it can be said that his mind wasn’t really working right then Hendery had no excuse.

‘Tell me how you feel, baby,’ Taeyong asked, staring down at his friend. ‘You told me what happened, now tell me how you feel about it.’

Sicheng turned, facing omega. ‘Aren’t you…disgusted? By what I just told you?’

Taeyong tried very hard to keep his expression at check and not show how mad he was at that question. God, how he just wanted to take Sicheng’s head and throw away all those awful and outdated stereotypes, those conservative learnings that were put into his head by his parents. Sicheng’s now is much more open and so much better than he used to be, learning something new every day, but a lot of old paradigm still stayed in him, unbudging. Omega took a deep breath and looked at his friend, keeping eye contact.

‘I am not disgusted, Sicheng. And I will never judge you. There is nothing wrong in having a sexual experience with two people at once. Nothing wrong with doing it with different genders. How can I be disgusted with you? Sichengie, it’s impossible.’ Beta frowned, but squeezed Taeyong’s hand, signaling that he understood. ‘Now tell me how you feel.’

‘Weird,’ his roommate immediately replied, casting his eyes down. ‘And.. a bit- used? I know they didn’t have bad intentions, but I feel like I was just- just a sex toy?’

At that moment Taeyong realized that Sicheng is still in the dark about what his friends feel for him. Because if he knew there is no way in hell that he would have thought so. Omega’s brain shut down for a second only to start working twice harder in the next; what should he do? Should he just tell him as it is and spill a secret that isn’t his? Should he let Hendery and Xiaojun deal with this on their own? What is the right course of direction here?

‘I think,’ Taeyong hesitantly started, choosing words carefully, ‘I think that you’re right when you say that they didn’t have bad intentions. They would never use you, Sichengie, they are not that kind of people. But if you feel that way, like you’ve been used, then it is their fault for not communicating everything properly to you.’

‘They called and texted so many times and I just didn’t reply,’ beta admitted, feeling guilty. ‘I just didn’t know what to say.’

‘It’s alright, you took your time, it’s okay!’ Taeyong quickly assured him. ‘Don’t feel guilty for this, you said you warned them about it. Are you ready to talk to them now?’

Sicheng stayed silent. He took Taeyong’s hand in his and started playing with his fingers, deep in thought. Lee let him, didn’t say a thing and just watched how his pale fingers are being encompassed by slightly darker ones.

‘You know how we have a group chat between me, Yuta, Johnny and Kun? Yesterday Kun wrote there that he asked Xiaojun out on a date.’ Sicheng paused and his eyes widened. He looked so cute that Taeyong cooed at him. ‘And Xiao said yes.’

‘Kun is a good alpha,’ Sicheng mumbled and looked up at Taeyong for confirmation: ‘Right?’

‘Kun is the best alpha for someone like Xiaojun.’ Taeyong replied confidently.

And that was the truth: Xiaojun, as a textbook definition of omega needed someone who’s a textbook definition of alpha - Kun. For gentle, unassuming and yielding Xiaojun - serious, strong and rather traditional Kun would make a perfect match. Xiao wanted someone to take care of him and Kun just needed someone to take care of, to pour all of his love and attention on. In Taeyong’s eyes these two were a match made in heaven and he was sure that their date will turn out to be a huge success. He hoped that this piece of information will somehow help Sicheng to make decision and he ended being right.

‘I’ll talk to them tomorrow,’ beta said, his mind made up. ‘You think I should tell them what I feel?’

‘Of course!’

 _And maybe they will tell you how they feel too_ , Taeyong thought. He understood hesitation of Hendery, because everyone knows that Sicheng’s heart will break if he learns that both of his friends are actually in love with him. In beta’s world things like that don’t happen; you don’t fall in love with a friend, because it’s a friend. Taeyong would never know how it feels like to love someone, but say nothing and just be their friend - he often wondered what Xiaojun and Hendery feel.

‘Thanks, Yongie,’ Sicheng whispered, smiling.

‘I’m always here for you,’ omega replied, placing a kiss on beta’s forehead. ‘Wanna cuddle?’

‘You have work to do,’ Sicheng slowly rose and gestured to Taeyong’s laptop. ‘Finish those awful looking excel files, workaholic. I know you won’t be able to sleep otherwise.’

Taeyong pouted at this but smiled when beta pecked his cheek before standing up. Omega was a workaholic, but it wasn’t so bad when he had someone like Sicheng by his side, who brings him food, drinks and don’t let him overwork himself too much.

‘Oh, by the way,’ Sicheng paused at the doorway. ‘You are welcome to come to Ten’s farewell party. This Saturday in Starbucks, we will just close it a bit early and let only guests in.’

‘You’ll be there?’ Taeyong asked and Sicheng nodded. ‘Really?’

‘I promised Ten,’ Sicheng shrugged. ‘I’ll come straight after dance practice.’

Taeyong wanted to agree immediately but then he remembered Jaehyun and an idea came into his mind. ‘Can I bring a friend?’

Sicheng nodded. ‘Is it someone I know?’

‘You’ll see.’ Taeyong replied with a mischievous smirk. The thought of seeing his manager in a rather loosened atmosphere made him strangely excited. Jaehyun was always so calm and collected, logical, not emotional. Taeyong wanted to see if alpha can have fun a bit. ‘I’m gonna let this be a surprise.’

**Saturday**

Of course Seulgi learned everything. Jaehyun wasn’t sure if he wanted to strangle Yukhei for having such a loose tongue or to thank him for taking the burden of telling everything to Seulgi from Jaehyun’s shoulders.

‘Tell me about him,’ she asks and chuckles when Jaehyun secretly glances towards the clock on the wall. ‘You said you’re meeting at noon, we still have time. Yukhei told me that you two are working closely on the project together.’

‘Anything else Yukhei told you?’ Jaehyun doesn’t bother hiding annoyance in his voice. ‘Since when you two are conversing behind my back?’

‘Since middle school,’ Seulgi deadpans. ‘And stop trying so hard to look annoyed on Yukhei, you love him. Now tell me. I wanna know everything about this Lee Taeyong.’

Jaehyun looks down at his cup of tea. Seulgi is his closest friend after Yukhei, both of them are like family to him. Talking with Seulgi always helps to bring order into Jaehyun’s world, she’s so much better at heart-to-heart than he is and after their talk he always goes now with a lighter heart. But how much can he tell her now? Jaehyun has a lot of thoughts about Taeyong, so many that he doesn’t know from which one he should start.

‘Is he fit for your team?’ Seulgi asks, setting a direction of the talk. ‘How he’s getting along with other guys?’

‘They all like him,’ Jaehyun answers, leaning back on the chair. ‘Especially Haechan and Jungwoo. They are really excited to have another man with them and the fact that Taeyong seems to just go along with whatever they are saying apparently scored him some points in their books. They get very hyped while talking to him, it’s endearing to watch, if I’m honest. Wendy and Yeri are… Wendy doesn’t care as long as you’re not an idiot and Taeyong is far from being one, so she took on him well. And Yeri is… you know.’

‘Still hopelessly in love with you?’ Seulgi guesses and laughs when Jaehyun cringes. ‘I’m right then. It’s been what, two years? I thought she’d give up long time ago. Are you still acting oblivious?’

‘Do I have any other choice?’ Jaehyun sighs, rubbing his temples. ‘She’s really good with programming, I can’t just- I can’t mess professional with personal.’

Seulgi rises one eyebrow at that. ‘A member of your team is literally your destined mate. And you’re telling me you can’t mess professional with personal?’

Jaehyun looks around for something that he can throw at the girl, but she only laughs and smacks his shoulder so hard that he flinches. Seulgi is a right menace when she wants to be, but thankfully Jaehyun and Yukhei are her favorites, so she spares them out of the goodness of her heart.

‘So if Wendy is okay with him it means he’s not dumb. What else?’

‘He graduated at the top of his class and passed all our tests with flying colors, of course he’s not dumb!’ Jaehyun scoffs.

‘Whoa, chill, lover boy, I didn’t meant to offend!’ Seulgi laughs, clapping like a seal. ‘Aw, I always knew that you have a kink for nerdy, class president kind of boys.’

Jaehyun’s eye twitches at that and he takes a deep breath, trying to remain calm and not fall for that stupid bait. Seulgi knew exactly how to get a rise of both him and Yukhei, but used it mostly in a joking manner, when she wanted to tease. Even right now her eyes are sparkling with mischief and lips are pulled into a wide smile.

‘He’s smart. Very responsible, learns and adapts quickly. He’s not afraid to suggest something new, try out new schemes and search for new ways to operate.’ Jaehyun lists and he doesn’t know it, but he has a fond look on his face that Seulgi sees and decides to remain silent about it. ‘Perfectionist, probably a workaholic or maybe just someone who puts work first. He’s a great addition to the team.’

‘Yukhei also told me that he’s the talk of the office with how handsome he is.’ Seulgi winks. ‘Is that true?’

‘Seulgi.’ Jaehyun warns but gets only scoffed at. ‘Are you seriously going to make me talk about it?’

‘You want to talk about it too,’ she counters and smiles knowingly. ‘Bet you didn’t say a thing to Yukhei, because you didn’t want him to think that you’re going soft for Taeyong. But you are. I can see it in you and you know it’s true as well. Admit it, Jung, you want to talk about him, that’s why you are here!’

‘I’m here because you invited me over for a breakfast,’ Jaehyun states.

‘And I invited you because I could feel it in my bones that you wanted to rant to someone!’ Seulgi throws her hands in the air exasperated. ‘Now will you please start talking?!’

Jaehyun has half of mind to stay silent just to annoy the girl, but he knows he’s not that strong - no one can win Seulgi in these kind of games. And to himself he can admit that she’s right: he wanted to rant about Taeyong, talk with someone about all of this mixed and confused feelings. Yukhei’s so busy with his project being due to the end of the month that Jung didn’t see his friend at all. He didn’t want to somehow distract, so Seulgi was the best option at the moment. And deciding to be an open book, Jaehyun told her everything. From first initial meeting to a visit to the doctor and kiss in the car. He paid attention to not forget about details, because Seulgi was very good at deciphering stuff that alpha would have thrown away as useless. She listens to him carefully without interrupting and not forgetting to pour him more tea as time goes by.

‘And I just don’t know what should I do,’ Jaehyun sighs, ruffling his hair. ‘One part of me thinks it’s unprofessional to have anything with your co-worker, but another part is really interested in him. Another part wants to me to give it a try, because being destined mates should mean something, right?’

Seulgi nods. ‘He makes you feel things. And that scares you, because last time you let yourself feel something towards another person you ended up with a broken heart. But thankfully, not everyone is like Chenle or else world would have been an awful place to live in.’

Jaehyun chuckles. ‘I wouldn’t have been able to formulate the problem that easily.’

‘I know you,’ she shrugs like it’s a no big deal. ‘But I think it’s right that you decided to give him a try. I actually really like this Taeyong, he has balls to cover up the fact that he’s an omega and then talk back to you. What? Don’t look at me like that, I know you like them feisty in life, but submissive in bed.’

‘Oh my fucking god,’ Jaehyun mutters, covering face with his hands. ‘I’m just gonna pretend that I didn’t hear last sentence. I love you but we’re not talking about sex. Ever.’

‘Your loss, I could have helped you.’

Jaehyun uncovers his face and pointedly rises one eyebrow, unimpressed. ‘I don’t need help in that department.’

‘That’s what all men say,’ Seulgi sing-songs and ignores a death glare that’s been sent her way. ‘So you’re going to pursue romantic relationships with him?’

‘We will just get to know each other better, no pressure. We’ll see it how it goes.’

‘Sounds good. But don’t back down if it turns out you’re more than compatible, okay?’ Seulgi takes Jaehyun’s hand in hers and squeezes. ‘Let yourself fall for him if that’s what your heart wants. I believe in fate and fate makes no mistakes. If you two are destined mates then he really is the one for you, Jaehyun. So don’t try to hide or control your feelings.’

Jaehyun sighs and smiles. ‘How do you always know what to say to make me feel better?’

Seulgi rolls her eyes playfully and again smacks his shoulder. ‘Don’t try to woo me, Jung, I’m not interested in taken alphas.’

‘I’m not taken,’ Jaehyun says, standing up. It’s time to go and pick Taeyong up.

‘Not yet.’ Seulgi corrects and waves him goodbye. ‘I’m too tired to walk you out. Have fun today and check on Yukhei, alright? He’s overworking himself to the ground.’

Jaehyun nods and walks out, feeling lighter. It’s good to get this out of his chest, to have a heart-to-heart with someone who truly cares for him and wishes him only the best. He waves one last time to Seulgi and gets in the car. To be honest he didn’t really think of how he’s going to entertain omega today, but when he stopped at the given address and picked Taeyong up, Lee already had an idea in mind.

‘Let’s go the party,’ he says without any preamble and Jaehyun chokes on air. ‘You don’t know these people and I don’t really know them too, but it’s going to be fun, I promise!’

‘Buckle up,’ Jaehyun points at the seatbelt. ‘I don’t see how going to a party where we both don’t really know anyone can be fun.’

‘We can dance!’ Taeyong says and his eyes light up. ‘I love dancing. Do you?’

‘You love to dance?’ Alpha asks and Taeyong excitedly nods. God, he doesn’t know so much about him. ‘What else do you love?’

‘Are we going to discuss this in the car?’ Omega chuckles. ‘I thought we could go and have lunch somewhere? I saw a place in the center that I really wanted to check out. Unless you have other plans, of course.’

Jaehyun shakes his head and smiles. Taeyong’s obviously in a good mood, he radiates energy and even if his outfit is very sexy (alpha let his eyes roam appreciatively over those leather pants), overall omega looks extremely cute.

‘Lunch sounds good,’ he nods. ‘Show the way.’

They end up going to the place Taeyong wanted to and tried best dumplings in the city. Jaehyun expected a lot of things, but he didn’t think that nervousness will fade away that easily; they conversed like long-time friends, conversation flowing easily between them with no awkwardness. Taeyong was very interesting to watch when he talked: he was very gesticulative, mimicked other people’s tones and actions, laughed loudly and didn’t act shy at all. He was very expressive, but also quieted down whenever it was Jaehyun’s turn to talk, listening carefully and attentively.

‘So you live alone?’ Alpha asks, pouring tea into the cups. ‘Renting a flat in that building?’

‘I have a roommate, Sicheng, he’s my close friend,’ Taeyong replies and blushes when Jaehyun picks up meat from his plate and puts it in omega’s plate. ‘You don’t have to do that. I have enough meat for myself!’

‘How it is to live with a close friend?’ Jaehyun asks, ignoring comment about meat. He starts making a wrap, adding various vegetables in it. ‘I’ve always lived alone since I turned seventeen, so I’m curious.’

‘It depends on both of your characters, but it’s really easy for me to live with Sichengie,’ Taeyong whines and puts his chopsticks down, when alpha hands him a wrap. ‘Eat it yourself!’

‘Why? You don’t want it?’ Alpha asks, frowning. Did he do something wrong?

Taeyong sighs and gently pries wrap from his fingers, putting it on his plate. He takes Jaehyun’s hand in his, looking alpha right in the eyes. ‘How do you want me to think that we’re meant to be only platonic when you keep on doing things like that? You’re sending mixed signals, because we obviously are sitting here just as colleagues, but then you start feeding me, making wraps for me, putting meat into my plate… I can’t help but think more of it. So if that’s not what you mean then please, don’t do it.’

It took few seconds for Jaehyun to respond, but he didn’t let go omega’s hand and instead pulled it to his side, gripping tighter. ‘You said yourself to give us a try. I never said that we’ll be purely platonic, I agreed when we said we should just try and see how it turns out. I’m not trying to confuse you with my actions, I’m doing all of this because _I want to_.’ Taeyong looked conflicted and Jaehyun squeezed his hand in a silent command to look at him. ‘I’ll never play with your feelings, Taeyong. I won’t hurt you like that.’

Few beats passed between them and alpha didn’t breathe until Taeyong’s lips formed into a small smile. Tension eased and omega obediently ate wrap that Jaehyun made him.

‘You are national sales manager now, what’s next? What are your plans?’ Taeyong asks in a nonchalant tone, like just few seconds before he wasn’t going to bolt out of this cafe and his ability to change that rapidly and act accordingly will never fail to surprise Jaehyun.

‘Next step is becoming a Sales director. That will take few years and I have to try myself in another department too, so I’ll be what everyone likes to call a ‘well-rounded manager. What about you?’ Jaehyun asks and he actually is very interested in an answer. ‘You want to go down the finance path?’

‘I’m interested in corporate finance,’ Taeyong admits and then leans closer, starting to talk animatedly: ‘I have to pass few tests to actually get a credit in it, but I think it’s really challenging and interesting!’

Throughout the rest of the lunch Taeyong never once mentioned how alpha continued feeding him, making wraps for him and just opened his mouth widely every time another piece of meat was offered to him and squeezed his eyes shut in a cute manner, munching happily. Jaehyun felt weird satisfaction from just watching omega eat with such enthusiasm. Yukhei always teased him about this, saying he’s ‘ _such an alpha with your need to provide_ ’ and maybe there is truth in his words, because Jaehyun felt good whenever he did little things like buying food, paying for anything, it brought him immense satisfaction.

‘Don’t even think about it,’ he strictly says, when Taeyong pulls out his credit card. ‘I’m paying.’

‘You paid last time,’ omega argues. ‘Today is my turn!’

‘No,’ alpha simply says and ignores cute pout that was sent his way.

He pays and stands up with Taeyong, who looks thoughtful but stays silent. Jaehyun thinks about taking omega to some park, so they can just sit and relax, when Taeyong touches his wrist hesitantly. Jaehyun continues walking to the car, but turns his head, indicating that he’s listening.

‘Was that a date?’ Taeyong asks, chewing on his bottom lip. ‘I mean, us in that cafe. Was that a date? Are we on a date right now?’

Alpha unlocks his car and smiles. _Date_. God, when was the last time he’s been on a date? It’s been probably two years, but it seems like so long ago that Jaehyun can’t even remember what he did on the date. Omega waits for his answer and blushes prettily, when alpha opens the door for him to get in. Is this a date? It feels like they are on one. Little nervous rush, excitement, light feeling in his chest - it’s like he’s back in a high school.

‘Do you want this to be a date?’ Jaehyun asks, when he sits in the car.

His question catches Taeyong’s off guard. ‘It’s not only about me though.’

‘Well I know an answer for myself. But do you want this to be a date? Because I do.’

Jaehyun will never get tired of watching Taeyong’s lips curl into blinding smile. Omega looks so beautiful, so happy and it makes alpha happy in turn. Taeyong slowly reaches out his hand towards him and it takes Jaehyun two seconds to understand what omega wants to do, but when realization comes into his mind, he can’t help but smile softly. He meets him halfway: their fingers link, palms press against each other and identical smiles appear on their faces.

‘It’s a date, then.’ Omega announces proudly and Jaehyun chuckles. ‘Where to now?’

They both settle for driving to the river and spending time there till the party. Jaehyun dares to take omega’s hand in his during the car ride and this action is awarded with a beaming smile and pink cheeks from Taeyong’s side. It almost feels like he’s on his first date ever, only instead of nerves he feels sense of rightness deep in his bones; like yes, this is what he’s supposed to be doing, like person sitting next to him is right for him. It relaxes alpha and rest of the day passes in a very laid-back fashion: they behave like shy high schoolers, but none of them want to rush, enjoying barely there touches and quick glances. Both of them are not wearing scent blockers and Jaehyun finds his reaction to Taeyong’s scent not so drastic. He tells this to omega and receives a nod in response.

‘Your sense is there, very prominent, but now it’s almost like it’s on the background? Like you know how you don’t even react to your friends’ scents? I’m almost used to it,’ Taeyong shrugs. ‘Maybe it has something to do with a general atmosphere? We both are relaxed and those easy touches we’ve been exchanging for the past hours also help, I think. Or maybe I’m just occupied with other things and not paying attention to your scent only.’

Jaehyun nods, making a mental note for himself to check this with Dr.Kim. Taeyong’s words probably have some substance: Jaehyun’s also not focusing on his touches and therefore reaction is not big, but it’s still there. Omega’s touch still awakes trail of goosebumps on his skin and alpha wants to it to stay that way; it’s a nice feeling. They buy rice cakes from an old auntie, who coos at Taeyong and then sternly tells Jaehyun to feed him more meat on which alpha solemnly nods, making omega laugh. Taeyong sways to his side and soon his head is on Jung’s shoulder as he laughs. They both seem to gravitate towards each other naturally, shoulders always brushing, hands shying away from being linked, but still so close that their fingers touch. It’s surprisingly easy with no forced communication and Jaehyun enjoys every second of it. He learns more about Taeyong, about his childhood, family and friends. Alpha doesn’t tell much about himself, but tries to give little bits of information here and there; he’s not secretive, it’s just opening up has always been a hard task, but he tries for Taeyong. While omega joyfully sips on a hot chocolate, he texts Yukhei and gets only short replies, which make him frown. Little finger presses into his forehead and Jaehyun blinks in surprise, staring at omega in silent question.

‘Don’t frown like that or you’ll get forehead wrinkles,’ he says seriously. ‘Is everything okay?’

‘Yukhei’s overworking himself,’ Jaehyun states and sighs. ‘I need to look after him.’

Taeyong nods and looks sad, pouting a little. He starts suggesting different ways how Jaehyun can cheer Yukhei up and this engagement, this desire to help melts alpha’s heart. He doesn’t like to bother anyone with his problems and with Chenle he never shared his worries, not wanting to burden his boyfriend with his own problems. But he did let some things slip and Chenle never reacted like Taeyong, never treated it like it’s something important. _Not everyone is like Chenle_ , Seulgi’s words ring in his mind. And logically he knows that. But he didn’t stop comparing both of them from the start and now, when Taeyong’s so different from what he imagined him to be, so different from his ex-boyfriend, Jaehyun feels shame. He shouldn’t have done that from the start. Taeyong is his own person, unique in every single way.

‘Careful there,’ omega says, distracting him from other thoughts. ‘You’re looking at me with hearts in your eyes. I might think that you’re falling, Mr.Jung.’

‘A little, yeah,’ Jaehyu admits, not shy. Taeyong’s eyes widen at this and alpha chuckles. ‘Don’t get ahead of yourself now, Mr.Lee. You still have a long way to go.’

Taeyong stares at him with open mouth for few more seconds before shutting it and getting this mischievous look in his face. He winks and says: ‘ _You have a long way to go too_ ’ and happily skips towards the river, leaving baffled alpha behind. That sounded like a challenge and Jaehyun smirks; if there is one thing he never does, is backing down from a good challenge.

**2 hours later**

Alpha knows he shouldn’t be like that: they came here as colleagues-almost-friends-but-not-really and besides, he was the one who agreed to come, so he can’t really blame anyone else. And Jaehyun doesn’t, he fully blames himself for thinking that going to a party with Taeyong is a good idea; parties usually include alcohol, crowds and dance floor. Three things that are not exactly his cup of tea. Jaehyun’s never been an extravert who searches for the crowds nor has he ever been a dancer: alpha comfortably sits on one of the chairs in the corner, avoiding unnecessary small talks with people he doesn’t know. Taeyong went away to find one of his friends, but Jaehyun preferred to stay here, not wanting to interfere. As Jung understood party is a farewell thing for one of the workers, who leaves the place, but he is yet to found out who is that person; there are small groups of people here and there, but no one is concentrating on one person in particular, so it’s hard to guess who’s the center of the party. He sips on his non-alcoholic mojito and frowns at the sweetness of the syrup. Alpha puts drink on the counter behind him and then makes a mistake of turning to a dance floor. His eyes immediately focus on Taeyong and it’s not because he’s the only one who Jaehyun knows here; it’s because Taeyong stands out so much from other dancing people that it’s almost comical. Song that’s playing is rather slow, not exactly sensual, but Taeyong manages to make it seem so with how expertly he sways his hips from side to side with his eyes closed. His skinny frame is accentuated by leather pants and if before omega wore his button down untucked, covering his thighs and bottom, then now he tucks it inside the pants and all of his legs are on full display and Jaehyun is weak.

The worst thing is that Taeyong is not doing this on purpose. He’s not trying to somehow provoke Jaehyun or play on his instincts; he’s not trying to get a rise from him, alpha knows that. Taeyong is just being himself, having fun and letting loose and if Jaehyun is fucked then, well. It’s only his problem. Alpha stares at dancing omega and it’s like he personally agrees for that kind of torture - to just stare and not to touch. They did not discuss these terms and Jaehyun before didn’t even think that they should, but now with his fingers itching to grab Taeyong he’s cursing himself for not thinking about it sooner. While alpha was in his head, thinking if he can or can’t touch his worker, lights dimmed and song switched to one of his favorites - ‘invite me’ by Brent Faiyaz. Every sense of his being turns alert, when omega first pauses, listening to the music to get the beat and then starts sensually moving to it. Jaehyun long ago came in terms with a simple truth - Taeyong is an art. Starting from his Disney prince-like eyes and thin lips and ending with his gestures and the way he carries himself - omega was art, the one that Jaehyun couldn’t have. Or could he?

 _beauty ain’t no issue for someone like you_ , speakers blast and Taeyong lightly grinds, his hips swirling in a way that makes Jaehyun’s throat go dry. _you should know better, cause there ain’t no better_ , Taeyong turns and makes a wave with his whole body, his hands get tangled in the hair and he lets them run down the sides of his body in a teasing manner. He moves like no one’s watching, he moves with no care in the world and his freedom is intoxicating. Jaehyun’s head is dizzy and he can’t even blame it on the alcohol, because he didn’t drink; Taeyong makes him feel drunk better than whiskey does. Omega is so different from what Jaehyun is used to, so much more _present_ : he refuses to be ignored or looked down, strives to be acknowledged, is hungry for learning something new and all of it in a mix with his appearance fucks with alpha’s head. He’s not used to omegas like Lee Taeyong. Omegas who are not ashamed of their gender, who are so free and yet so responsible and hardworking. Omegas who are unpredictable, full of pride and self-worth, who can bite and talk back and who are _anything_ but passive. Jaehyun’s intrigued, Jaehyun’s curiosity is picked and he wants to learn more. Today’s date was so innocent, but there is no way it’s going to stay like that. Alpha looks around and when no one pays him no mind he stands up and walks to the dance floor. He doesn’t have to announce his presence in a verbal way, because Taeyong immediately feels him, turning around. His smile is blinding and Jaehyun swallows, when omega steps closer, looking flushed and sweaty. His mind immediately pictures other reasons of how he can get this omega flushed and sweaty and alpha has to mentally scold himself. _No. Too soon_.

‘Wanna dance?’ He asks and there are devils in his eyes and Jaehyun should know better, but he finds himself nodding anyway. ‘With me or alone?’

Jaehyun takes omega’s hand in his and squeezes. ‘With you.’

Song changes and Jaaehyun barely notices because Taeyong smiles in a way that promises hell. Alpha hears familiar beats and then chuckles at the song. ‘100 ways’ bu Austin Hull with it’s openly dirty lyrics and here he is with Taeyong. _you got me losing my mind_ , and Taeyong pulls Jaehyun in, making alpha grip his hips roughly. Omega winks and starts moving from side to side, helping his partner adjust to the rhythm. They are close enough for their breaths to mix and Taeyong licks his lips, making them glisten under the lights. Jaehyun is strong, he takes immense pride in self-control, but this boy in his arm is seriously testing his resolve. _i’ll tell you all the things i wanna do, we’ll spend the night locked in the hotel room_ , Taeyong steps even closer and wraps his arms around alpha’s neck. He noses Jaehyun’s collarbones and unashamedly takes a deep breath, purring softly as scent fills his lungs. Alpha’s chest puffs from knowing that his scent is so satisfying to Taeyong, that it has this effect on him. Jaehyun fears his grip might leave bruises, so he shifts his hands a bit lower. Taeyong doesn’t react and alpha gets bolder, sneaking under shirt and settling both hands on omega’s sides, touching his bare skin. He smirks at the way Taeyong’s breathing hitches. Omega’s skin is smooth, pure silk under his hands and he squeezes, loving the feeling of hot flesh. _let’s make mistakes, yeah, we’ll go until the bedroom fucking breaks, yeah_. Taeyong stares at him for two seconds and then hastily turns around and glues himself to alpha. Jaehyun is overwhelmed: there’s so much he feels, so many thoughts in his head and with beautiful omega shamelessly grinding his backside on him, he feels dizzy. Out of the instinct Jaehyun squeezes Taeyong’s hips and swallows hard, when boy leans fully on him. Their bodies are touching almost everywhere and it sets his skin on fire even through layers of clothes; he feels like he’s burning up and temperature in the rooms seems also only to rise.

‘You’re not dancing,’ Taeyong whispers, pouting a little.

His head is on Jaehyun’s shoulder and when he looks up at him, stars dance in his eyes and column of his neck is so enticing, literally right there for alpha to sink his teeth in it - Jaehyun bites inside of his cheek to not give in for temptation and starts moving his hips in shallow circles. Omega beside him gasps when alpha pulls him even closer, his nose on the other’s temple.

‘Like this?’ Jaehyun asks, moving his hips and sneaking one hand beneath his shirt, placing on omega’s lightly toned stomach. ‘Want me to move like this?’

‘Y-yeah,’ Taeyong mutters and exhales loudly.

Jaehyun’s head drops lower, stopping at Taeyong’s jaw for a second - _if i was looking for love then honestly you’d be the catch, yeah_ \- and then noses his neck. All of the senses are flooded with sweet scent of Taeyong, with need _to touch and lick and grab and mark_. Jaehyun has never been prouder for his ability to stay sane under any circumstances. They are full on grinding on each other and for the first time alpha doesn’t care what other people will think; he gives zero fucks if anyone sees them like this, if anyone judges them for their behavior. It feels good, so good and Jaehyun didn’t feel like that in _years_. Taeyong unleashes something inside him, wakes up the most primal instincts inside of him and alpha doesn’t know is it because Taeyong is his destined mate or because Taeyong is simply Taeyong - walking work of art. He doesn’t move his head from a position on omega’s neck, but he does move his hand: one stays on Taeyong’s hip, but other one traces unknown patterns on his stomach and gets shivers in response. Jaehyun knows that scent blockers are useless when it comes to Taeyong, because omega still picks up his scent, but he also know that those scent blockers help keep his scent rather muted. But now without wearing any blockers and no suppressants, he knows omega can easily pick up notes of lust and desire in his scent. Taeying whines - Jaehyun wouldn’t have hear it if his head wasn’t so low - and that whine reaches the pits of burning fire. Alpha growls low in his throat as a response and smirks when Taeyong trembles and grabs nape of his neck. _let’s make mistakes, yeah_ -

‘Taeyongie,’ Jaehyun whispers and throws all the caution away - just once in his life can he be reckless?

His lips ghost over omega’s neck before getting more prominent; he starts littering his neck in small kisses, not open-mouthed, but still enough for Taeyong to groan and roll his head to the side, giving him full access. Jaehyun’s hips stutter and he grips tighter, when Taeyong’s butt grinds right on his semi-hard cock. Alpha hisses and lightly bites down on his neck, immediately licking that place. His grip on omega is strong, so when Taeyong’s knees buckle he keeps him upright, chuckling.

‘Are you drunk, Taeyong?’ He asks, fully knowing that omega also didn’t touch alcohol. ‘Or is something else the matter?’

‘Y-you-’ Taeyong tries and fails to speak, when Jaehyun bites down again, this time harsher. ‘Oh my god, Jaehyun…’

‘Hm?’ Jung teases porcelain skin, just dragging his teeth around but not actually biting. ‘What is it?’

‘What are you d-doing?’ Taeyong asks, struggling hard to keep some coherent thoughts inside of his head. He’s shivering like a leaf on the wind in alpha’s hands and it only makes Jaehyun want him more.

‘I’m dancing, just like you asked,’ he replies and pointedly pushes his hard-on forward, making omega gasp.

‘Jaehyun,’ Taeyong calls and starts grinding back, pushing back harder and alpha sees red for two seconds before he takes control and stops omega’s moves with a strong grip on his hips. ‘Stop teasing and- !’

Jaehyun fully stops, just when song ends and doesn’t move, not letting omega move either. His one hand lets go of his hip and instead grabs a light hold on his chin, making Taeyong look up and make eye contact with him. How Taeyong manages to look fucked out when they did a bare minimum is beyond Jaehyun. How that glazed look in his eyes makes alpha’s dick harden in his pants is something he apparently needs to get used to. Without looking away from his eyes Jung gently swipes his thumb across omega’s lips and curses low when pink tongue pokes out and licks his thumb in a teasing way. Jaehyun knows he shouldn’t. He knows he should be the responsible one. But Jung Jaehyun is just a man and he’s weak.

‘Stop teasing and what? And do something about it?’ He dares and Taeyong nods. Jaehyun feels the change in omega’s scent and he knows it’s because of him, because he makes Taeyong want and the thought of another people at the party being able to smell it makes him possessive. ‘Are you sure, Taeyong?’ Omega again nods, this time more frantically and Jaehyun chuckles, shaking his head. ‘You don’t even know on what I’m talking about and you’re already agreeing. Taeyong-’

‘I trust you,’ Taeyong blurts out, eyes wide. ‘So yes. I’m sure.’

Three words and they break all resolve that alpha had. Three little words with a meaning so big that Jaehyun’s heart can’t contain it. Taeyong looks at him like he’s god, like he’ll jump out of the window this second if alpha asks him to and this power over another human being, this responsibility kicks something in Jung. He lets go of omega’s chin and grabs his hand instead. He makes sure to pause, give Lee a chance to turn away: he’s sure that what he’s going to do is written clearly on his face, so omega would know what he’s signing up for. He almost wishes Taeyong won’t agree, but omega only intertwines their fingers in response and smiles. That smile shatters alpha’s heart because there’s so much trust in it and he’ll die first before he breaks it.

‘Let’s go,’ he mutters and pushes omega from the crowd, away from the people, away from the lights.

So they can be alone. Because Jung Jaehyun is just a man and he’s weak. So weak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's so much wayv content these days, i'm dyING  
> have you watched their performances on music shows? if not then please do! we need babies to have many views!:')
> 
> on the other note, hello babes! 200+ kudos i-🥺🥺 thank you so much💜 
> 
> second part of this chapter will be about sichengie and yukhei🥰 little hint: our baby winwinnie won't come to the party, because yukhei > ten's farewell 
> 
> how did you like this one? i wanted to encompass a week, to show that these two are really getting to know each other and their own feelings. tell me your thoughts, your comments make so happy!!


	9. chapter 8 (part two). i like you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> all about yukhei and sicheng with a little angst from sicheng and hendery

Sicheng can’t say he was shocked to see Hendery, but appearance of other beta without their omega friend did surprise him. Dance practice was as exhausting as ever, since they were getting closer to the concert and Sicheng’s body was screaming for rest when he exited the room after shower. Hendery was leaning on the wall, hands in pockets and facial expression glum.

‘Hi,’ Sicheng breathes out, ruffling his still damp hair.

Instead of answering Hendery comes closer and leans towards his friend. Sicheng freezes when beta’s hand gently wipes water droplets from his neck. Their eyes lock and Sicheng takes a step back, swallowing. Something weird is in the air between them and he can’t put a finger on it; tension that is unfamiliar and that was never there.

‘You weren’t answering our calls and texts,’ Hendery says and although he is calm the underlying accusation is heavy in his words. ‘For four days in a row. We were worried.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Sicheng bites out, lips pressing into a firm line. ‘I just-’

‘Needed time,’ Hendery cuts off and little line forms on his forehead that lets Sicheng know how exactly pissed his friend is. ‘You could have just texted that you’re fine. Xiaojun was after heat and you know how sensitive and emotional he gets, he cried for two days straight because of you.’

Sicheng grips his hands into fists and stays silent, looking down. Pang in his chest from Hendery’s words is growing fast until it fills all the place and makes it hard for him to breathe. _He made Xiaojun cry._ Guilt overflows and Sicheng sniffles, not being able to contain his emotions. He hastily wipes away few tears and looks up at his friend. Hendery looks torn between wanting to come and soothe him and wanting to stay angry. When Sicheng sniffles louder beta breaks and rushes to him, embracing his friend.

‘I’m so sorry,’ Sicheng whispers into Hendery’s shoulder, clutching to him. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t want to make Xiao cry. I’m awful, I’m sorry!’

‘Shh, no, you’re not awful,’ Hendery’s hands run over his back, soothing him. ‘You are our precious angel, Winwinnie, you’re not awful. It’s okay, Junnie is fine now, don’t worry.’

‘He is?’ Sicheng leans away and the way his eyes are red makes Hendery sigh. ‘He is fine?’

‘Well he went on a date with Kun and didn’t text me to come and pick him up, so I assume he is fine.’

It takes few seconds for the information to sink in and when it does Sicheng gasps and looks up at Hendery. His friend has an understanding smile on his face and chuckles fondly, ruffling wet hair.

‘That’s why you came alone,’ Sicheng says and gets a nod in response. ‘Xiao is-’

‘He’s fine,’ Hendery interrupts. ‘And we need to talk. Okay?’

Sicheng nods. They walk through the corridor in silence and don’t start talking until they reach cafeteria. It’s crowdy and super busy in this time: hundreds of students just got out of their last evening lectures, hungry and tired. This choice of the place again proves how well Hendery knows him. Sicheng wouldn’t feel comfortable in a more secluded and quiet place, it’d make him more nervous to not have anyone around during a not so pleasant conversation; being surrounded by loud noise and many people beta will feel more comfortable and it will ease his anxiety a bit. Hendery chooses a spot close to the window and sits across beta, locking his hands on the table.

‘Start first, Winwin,’ he says and it’s a challenge to hear him over a buzz of the cafeteria, but Sicheng strains his hearing. ‘And be honest, yeah? Just tell me how it is.’

Sicheng stares at Hendery’s hand and hopes right words will come to his mouth. He pictured this conversation so many times, even rehearsed stuff he’s going to say, but now his head was empty and heart was hurting. Despite hug he knows that Hendery is upset or maybe even angry and it makes everything so much harder.

‘We are friends,’ he starts and Hendery nods. ‘And friends don’t do stuff like that. I guess I just felt..used. Like you and Xiao just…used me like I’m some toy.’

Hendery’s widen during the explanation. He reaches out to the boy and Sicheng accepts his hand with a small smile, squeezing it. Dealing with emotions, confronting your friends - all of this is foreign and uncomfortable, but beta feels good with getting it out of his chest. This friendship between him, Xiaojun and Hendery is one of the best things that happened to him and to lose it over his inability to communicate would be awful.

‘I… didn’t know, I never thought-’ Hendery shakes his head, regret evident on his face. ‘Winwinnie, you’d never use you. Me and Xiao, we’d never do something like this. We love you, Winwin.’

‘I know,’ Sicheng nods and lets himself smile once more. ‘I love you two too.’

Hendery smiles but it’s a sad smile. How many times have he dreamed of hearing these three words from Winwin? How many times have he dreamed of Winwin seeing him and Xiao in a different way, not just as friends? Beta looks at their linked hand and sighs. Wishful thinking will get him nowhere, but he still let fantasy prosper in his mind.

‘We won’t do this again,’ Hendery says and it pains him to say that, but he knows it’s the right thing to do. ‘Alright? We are very sorry, Winwin. I can’t even put into words how awful me and Junnie felt these days. I asked you to just check on Xiaojun and then when I came and saw you two together-’ _I couldn’t stop myself,_ Hendery wants to say. _You two looked so good, so perfect together and I couldn’t stop myself._ -‘I’m sorry, Winwin.’

Guilt again awakens in Sicheng’s chest and he looks down in shame. He should have texted to at east let them know that he’s alright. Poor Xiaojun always has been every emotional, but at the period of his heat and few days after it his sensitivity reaches its peaks and picturing beautiful omega cry because of him makes Sicheng want to curl up into the ball and cry himself.

‘I’m sorry too,’ he whispers and tries to blink away tears. ‘I’m very sorry. Forgive me, please.’

Hendery frowns and quickly leaves his seat in favor of sitting right next to his friend. ‘Of course we forgive you, Winwin, don’t worry about it!’ Two friends hug and Hendery lets himself to kiss other beta in the cheek. ‘It’s on all of us, okay? Don’t think you’re the only one who’s guilty. Do you wanna talk to Junnie? I’m sure he’ll spare us few minutes from his date.’

Sicheng nervously nods and Hendery dials their best friend. It takes fives seconds and Xiaojun picks up, his cheerful voice easing nerves of both betas. Hendery smiles encouragingly at Sicheng and hands him his phone, saying to Xiao that Winwin wants to talk.

‘Xiaojun,’ Sicheng greets and almost chokes on his tears when in response he gets not angry, sad or irritated Xiao, but a soft, full of affection and love omega, who greets him with simple ‘ _Winwinnie_ ’. ‘I’m- I’m sorry, Xiao. I’m so sorry.’

‘I’m sorry too,’ Xiaojun says from the other side and Sicheng hears light sniffling. ‘I’m sorry, Winwinnie, please, don’t hate us!’

‘No, never!’ Sicheng almost shouts, attracting attention of other people in the cafeteria. ‘Xiao, never, I love you and Hendery.’ There’s pause on the other line and Sicheng even checks if connection is still on, because Xiaojun stays silent for rather long time. ‘Xiao?’ He calls again. ‘Do you hear me?’

‘I do,’ comes quick reply. ‘I.. love you so much, Winwinnie. So much. I’m sorry if we hurt you. It will never happen again. But please don’t ignore us like this, I didn’t know what do with myself these days.’

‘I’m sorry too,’ Sicheng says hastily. ‘I won’t be like that again, it was very selfish of me. Am I… ruining your date?’ Hendery smacks his shoulder, but Xiao’s responding giggle makes it worth it.

‘Of course not! Kun went to get me flowers, it’s alright.’

‘Flowers?’ Omega hums as an answer and Sicheng smiles softly. ‘Good. You deserve all the flowers in the world.’

Xiaojun on the other side bites his lip and shuts his eyes. It takes him few moments to compose himself and to order his heart stay put and not jump out of his chest because of these words. Sicheng doesn’t mean them in the context omega wants and he knows that. Sometimes, the way their beta friend is so oblivious to their feelings can hurt terribly, but he and Hendery knew that from the start and still signed up for it. Hendery knows very well what omega’s feeling right now, because Sicheng’s words made him feel all of that too. He easily pictures all of them on a date with Sicheng running to get flowers for Xiaojun. He gently rubs Sicheng’s shoulder, when beta checks again if connection has been distorted since Xiao is not replying.

‘Hello? Xiaojun?’ Sicheng turns to Hendery. ‘I think something’s wrong with your phone, connection is really bad.’

‘I’m here, Winwin, sorry,’ Xiaojun says and sees approaching Kun. ‘I gotta go, but thank you for calling. I’m so happy that we’re all good now. We are, right? We’re all good?’ Sicheng looks at Hendery and he nods.

‘Yeah, we’re all good. Have a nice date with Kun, Junnie.’

Hendery takes his phone and shouts: ‘But if he hurts you call me!’

Sicheng hears Xiaojun laughing at this and then Kun’s stern voice at the background saying that he won’t hurt him. Hendery laughs, says something about being a strict friend and then hangs up with a promise to meet up all together. He then turns to Sicheng and hugs him, patting his back.

‘We’re all good, Winwinnie. Okay? So stop looking so sad.’

Sicheng swats his hand away and smiles. He feels lighter, better. The fact that friendship is saved makes him want to jump up and down from happiness. They spend rest of the evening together, deciding to eat pizza and catch up on the latest things. When Hendery asked him about the upcoming party for Ten’s farewell Sicheng suddenly remembered about alpha. _Yukhei._ He didn’t call him or text him even though he did want to. Shyness was stopping beta for reaching out and he wanted to punch himself; why can’t he just be bold and brave? Why is it so hard for him? He didn’t tell anything to Hendery or Taeyong. For whatever reason he didn’t want to share any information about Yukhei with anyone. It’s stupid, but that tall alpha was like his own little secret, something only for him to keep.

‘Okay, this is third time you spaced out on me, you gotta go home,’ Hendery says, chuckling. ‘You probably are super tired from the practice. C’mon, stand up, I’ll walk you.’

‘You don’t have to,’ Sicheng argues, shaking his head. ‘You’re tired too, I can see it.’

Instead of answering Hendery grabs his arm and just pulls him up. Walk to home was quick and filled with Hendery’s jokes. When they reach the apartment building beta hugs Sicheng tightly and loudly kisses him in the forehead. Sicheng bristles and acts like he hates it, but both of them know that he’s happy and is just shy to show it.

‘See you at the party!’ Hendery waves and waits till Sicheng’s inside before turning and walking back to the dormitory.

**Saturday**

Sicheng wakes up way past noon, because yesterday he wrote his paper for one of the classes whole night. He stretches like a cat on the bed and sighs loudly. Saturdays are his favorite: he usually lays round, does absolutely nothing productive and lets his brain focus on something other than his semester project. Beta checks his phone and smiles at few pictures from Xiaojun. One is him with Kun, both eating ice-cream and another one is of him and Hendery in their dorm, showing thumbs up. Sicheng sends simple ‘cute!’ and basks in the feeling of utter happiness - he made up with his friends, finally got hold of the dance for the show and finished his paper. Two hours pass in a lazy fashion with him cooking breakfast, watching one episode of the tv show and drawing a bit. When Sicheng sees his draft for the final project he pauses, remembering alpha from Starbucks. He turns and grabs his business card from his table, chewing on his lips. Should he call? What if he doesn’t even remember him? What if he’ll just annoy alpha? Sicheng has always been cautious and indecisive when it comes to acting first - he’ll never reject someone’s else offer for communication, but when it’s him who has to be the one to call it gets on his nerves. It takes him five minutes to gather the courage and rehearse what he’s going to say. The worst thing is being caught off guard, so beta repeats few times a simple sentence of: ‘ _Hi, I’m Sicheng, barista from Starbucks. You asked me to call, so you’ll tell me more about the project of your company_ ’ and only when he can say it without stuttering beta dials the number on the card. It rings two times and even though he thought he was ready, when he hears a hoarse: ‘ _Hello?_ ’ from the other side he almost falls from the chair.

‘Yes? Who is this?’ Alpha asks again and he already sounds annoyed and like he’s in the middle of doing something important if to judge by the background noises of someone speaking, which only amplifies beta’s nerves.

‘ _Yuk-Yukhei_ ,’ Sicheng mutters and immediately rolls his eyes on his own stuttering. God, how pathetic! ‘Um, it’s-’

‘Sicheng? Sicheng!’ Alpha’s voice doesn’t sound annoyed anymore and beta blinks in surprise. _How did he know? Did he really remember my voice?_ ‘Is that you?’

‘Yes, it’s me,’ beta breathes out, managing not to stutter this time. ‘You asked me to call you..’

‘Yes, wait!’ There’s sound of footsteps, door closing and then background noise disappears. ‘Okay, we can talk now. Hi! I thought you’d never call. How are you?’

Sicheng’s brain literally stops and starts off again; he did not expect alpha to be so… excited. Which is a mistake on his part, because two times when he saw him Yukhei been extremely friendly and open. It eases his nerves, but also makes him feel something else - something that strangely resembles butterflies in the stomach.

‘I’m good,’ Sicheng answers and only then realizes that he spoke Mandarin. ‘ Oh sorry, I mean-’

‘Glad you’re good,’ Yukhei answers softly in Mandarin too, interrupting beta. ‘You guessed by my name that I’m also Chinese?’

Sicheng nods and then remembers that alpha can’t see him. ‘Yeah. Yukhei.. It’s a pretty name.’

The seconds those words leave his mouth Sicheng slaps himself on the forehead and wants to curl into the ball and die. Can’t his floor open up and let earth swallow him whole? ‘It’s a pretty name’. God, _who says that_?! Apparently, awkward betas like Sicheng. While he’s having an existential crisis, he doesn’t hear low chuckle on the other side, but he definitely hears: ‘ _Not as pretty as you are_ ’ from alpha and it takes all of his self-control to not scream. At the same time, not so far from his own apartment, Yukhei stands in the corridor, smiling like an idiot. He’s holding phone tightly and when one of his workers pokes his head from the meeting room and asks if he’s coming, alpha shakes his head and ushers him to go inside. He waited for this phone call whole week and any meeting can wait. He hears muffled sounds coming from Sicheng and it makes his smile widen even more. Yukhei wishes he can see him right now, he can bet millions that boy looks devastatingly cute.

‘Are you free tonight?’ He asks in Mandarin. It sounds a bit rusty on his tongue, he can’t remember last time he spoke on this language with anyone else besides his grandparents. ‘We can meet and I’ll tell you everything about why that drawing of yours is important for my project.’

‘Maybe we can meet closer to four pm?’ Sicheng asks. ‘Unless you’re busy-'

‘At four then!’ Alpha interrupts, not even checking if he’s actually free. He’ll cancel, if so. ‘I’ll pick you up, send your address to this number, okay?’

‘Okay,’ Sicheng agrees and hesitantly adds: ‘Should I take my sketch book?’

‘Yeah, that’d be good, but most importantly just come yourself. See you, cutie!’

Alpha hangs up and Sicheng holds phone close to his heart, taking a deep breath. _Not as pretty you are._ Sicheng climbs back on his bed and stares at his phone in wonder. Other two brief meetings in Starbucks he wasn’t sure if alpha flirted with him, even though Mark did say so; but now… He gulps. When was the last time someone flirted with him? Two more hours before the meeting and beta warily glances towards his wardrobe. _If only Taeyong was here_ , he thinks, already knowing that choosing clothes will end up being a torture. His mind refuses to think of anything but not as pretty as you are and it drives beta to the wall. Sicheng has been called ‘cute’ a lot of times. Although this word brings back memories of his parents saying ‘ _stop acting all cute, you’re not an omega!_ ’ he learned to not have negative associations with it. Being called ‘cute’ doesn’t really affect him and he’s used to hearing ‘angel’ or ‘precious’ from his friends. Sicheng never thinks much about those words because they are his friends - they don’t mean it in romantic way. But he’s never been called _pretty_ before. It’s a whole mix of emotions for him; even though pretty is usually reserved for girls, he feels weird rush of satisfaction and glee in being called that by Yukhei. His cheeks burn in embarrassment as his mind supplies him a perfect image of Yukhei leaning over, smiling and calling him pretty again.

‘My god,’ Sicheng mumbles, shaking his head. _This is not okay._

He saunters to his wardrobe and opens it up with a sigh. Sicheng never really paid a lot of attention to his appearance: his clothes are what he considers to be pretty basic, nothing outrageous or that screams and stands out. He’s never been a fashionista like Ten or Johnny, mostly searching comfort in his clothes. But now, for some reason, he hates that. He regrets not coming with Taeyong to all those shopping sprees. It’s like he has nothing to wear and only after shuffling through all of his clothes does Sicheng realize what is he doing. Beta blinks, looking at the white shirt in his hands. Why is behaving like this? Like he’s an omega dressing up for a date? Sicheng grits his teeth and hastily takes jeans and shirt, throwing them on his bed, smashing doors of the wardrobe. Annoyance creeps on the back of his mind and he huffs impatiently, staring at two pieces he chose. He tells himself it doesn’t matter. He reminds himself he’s not an omega to spend hours in front of the wardrobe, choosing what to wear. He refuses to give in to an urge to turn around and start picking clothes again.

‘I am beta,’ he says out loud, clenching his fists.

Betas do not dress up. And this is not a date. Not turning back, Sicheng grabs his sketchbook and saunters to the kitchen. There temptation to check his clothes is not that strong and with jerk movements he sits down on the chair, adamant to not think about Yukhei or anything other than his drawing. He almost succeeds.

+=+

Yukhei sighs tiredly and rubs his eyes. All together he had four solid hours of sleep this week and this project’s been taking a toll on his nerves and health for the past month. Alpha stared at a too bright laptop screen, where unfinished presentation waited for him, but he just couldn’t figure out how to wrap it up. In the end of the next week he has to come with a full and complete proposal to the client and, preferably, immediately sign the contract. But proposal was ‘okay’ at best, his energy levels were at their lowest and all he wanted to do was just succumb to sleep and wake up after two days of rest. Jaehyun has been messaging him and calling, but Yukhei didn’t want to share his mishaps at work; even though they were best friends and Jaehyun would never judge him, Yukhei’s pride still hurt whenever he had to admit that he’s having a trouble in the line of work. He liked to share his ideas and brainstorm in a big company of workers, but when it came to moments like this, when he got stuck, he preferred to be alone and figure everything out himself. The project was mostly finished, but proposition lacked something that would make it exciting, alluring to the client. Alpha saves presentation and shuts laptop, knowing that he won’t get any work done with this kind of mindset. Yukhei feels desperate need to go out, to just take a deep breath and relax, but deadlines and messages from his workers say other things. He walks towards one of the meeting rooms and plasters a smile on his face when he enters, greeting his team.

‘Break’s over, let’s start,’ he says and everyone nods, gathering their files.

It’s thirty minutes into the meeting when Yukhei understands that not only he’s close to falling asleep in front of his workers, but that everyone else is in similar condition. Alpha may not be the strictest manager out there, but he’s very clear about meeting deadlines and his team works or at least tries to do work as much as he does. He looks around and everyone looks just about as tired as he is; with a dejected sigh Yukhei claps two times, getting everyone’s attention.

‘Go home, everyone,’ he says, standing up. ‘Sleep it off, rest tomorrow too, but in Monday I expect finished reports on my desk by nine am sharp. Okay?’ Everyone nods, standing up too. ‘If in ten minutes when I exit the office I’ll see someone still here I’m gonna lock you all up here for today. Got it? So, c’mon, quickly, go home!’

With laughter everyone leaves meeting room and Yukhei hears their ‘thank god he’s our manager’ in the corridor and tiredly smiles. While he’s not actively trying to get people to like him, it’s always very nice and satisfying when they do. Looks aside, he does try hard to keep his team happy and make sure that their long hours at work will be worth it in the end. Yukhei hears loud shuffling and someone screaming: ‘Three minutes left, hurry!’ and stands up, chuckling. His stomach rumbles, but he ignores when his alarm goes off. Alpha immediately lights up and grabs his phone, running to his own office for the car keys. He sat up an alarm as a reminder to not be late for his dat-meeting with Sicheng. Just the thought of a cute barista lifts Yukhei’s mood by hundred percent and in spare twenty minutes he’s already in the car, driving to the given address. Yukhei’s excited, but not the nervous kind of excitement he has before important meetings; it’s more of a giddy excitement, the one he feels before he goes on a date with someone who caught his eye. Although meeting is supposed to be about business, Yukhei’s heart still beats twice faster than usual: thought of seeing barista’s cute face does that to him. Maybe if he tries hard enough he can turn the business thing into… a casual date? He flirted openly with a boy, so Sicheng should know that there’s something more to it than just a conversation about future project together.

‘Sicheng!’ Yukhei calls loudly, waving his hand. ‘Over here!’

He can’t help but smile widely, looking at cute boy coming to him. His outfit is so simple - light blue jeans, white t-shirt and same color shirt thrown over it - and yet he still manages to stand out from the crowd of people. Alpha swears he can almost see light coming from the boy, when he shyly smiles.

‘Hi,’ he says in Mandarin, looking down. ‘I’m sorry if I kept you waiting for long.’

‘Hi yourself, pretty,’ Yukhei answers and giggles internally at the dust pink that appears on boy’s cheeks. _Jesus, he’s so cute._ ‘No worries. Get in, did you have lunch? I’m starving!’

Sicheng chews on his bottom lip, nervously looking around. The car is obviously expensive, salon made of new maroon color leather that sets up a rather intimate atmosphere once both of the men close their doors. He swallows and resists an urge to fidget, staring down at his hands silently. Yukhei talks about his favorite cafe not so far from the river, how he loves going there whenever he has free time and his low and deep voice makes beta squirm uncomfortably on the seat. Sicheng honestly thought that appearance of alpha won’t shake him up that much, but sitting in the car with him now makes even tiny hairs on his arms rise. _This is not a dream._

‘Hey, is everything okay?’ Yukhei asks worriedly, turning to boy on the passenger seat. ‘If you don’t want to go there, we can go to any other place of your choosing.’

Sicheng turns and momentarily gets distracted with how handsome alpha is; even when he looks tired and there are prominent dark circles under his eyes, he still makes beta nervous beyond belief with strength and confidence that oozes out of him in waves. ‘No, it’s okay,’ beta says, gulping. ‘I’m just- it’s okay, we can go there.’

‘You’re just what?’ Yukhei asks and then switches to Mandarin, lowering his voice: ‘Are you nervous because of me?’

Alpha bites his lower lip when Sicheng looks down. Boy looks so fragile, so innocent that Yukhei has half of mind to just let him go, not wanting to taint this innocence. But only a small part of him thinks so, because bigger part wants to take this boy under his wing and not let him go. Sicheng, weirdly enough, relaxes from hearing his native language and looks up at alpha. He maintains eye contact and nods, biting inside of his cheek. Yukhei smiles and reaches his hand out, palm up. His heart almost doesn’t beat, while Sicheng slowly lifts his hand and carefully places it in Yukhei’s hold.

‘I’m nervous too,’ alpha confesses and Sicheng’s eyes widen in surprise, like alpha being nervous is something shocking. ‘What? Have you seen yourself in the mirror? I’ll let you know I get very nervous around such pretty boys.’

Sicheng is so taken aback by this statement that he lets out indignant: ‘Have YOU seen yourself in the mirror?!’

Yukhei bursts into laughter at that, shaking with his whole body. Sicheng just stares, butterflies rising from the bottom of his stomach up up up - they are almost at his throat and he has to swallow them down, controlling his feelings. Having Yukhei laugh because of him feels… _wonderful_.

‘I’m flattered, really,’ Yukhei mutters, smiling. ‘So now that we’ve established that we both are nervous, do you want to go to that place I was talking about? I’m open to any suggestion from you too.’

‘Is it quiet?’ Sicheng asks. Yukhei looks at him with rapt attention and it makes him shy. ‘I just don’t really like loud places.’

‘I’m not a big fan of loud places too,’ alpha replies. ‘It is quiet and we can get a private cabin, so it’ll be only us.’

Sicheng refuses to blush at that, but he feels his cheeks heating up and the only solution is to nod and turn away. He hears light chuckle but doesn’t turn, preferring to keep his eyes on the window. Drive to that cafe is quick and filled with pop tunes coming from the radio. Yukhei feels at ease and this is not something he feels often; most of the times alpha feels burning need to say something, to fill the silence and become a mood maker, but although he does enjoy lightening up everyone’s mood, it can be very tiring. Sitting in comfortable silence with Sicheng feels natural and when he glances at the boy, he also looks comfortable, staring out of the window. Yukhei tries his best to stare at the road, but boy’s profile is distracting, he wants to stare at it instead. Sicheng feels gaze on him and when he turns and meets alpha’s eyes he coughs, blushing.

‘We’re here,’ Yukhei parks smoothly and quickly exits the car, rushing to Sicheng’s side and opening door for him. ‘After you.’

Beta tries to fight back a smile that’s threatening to appear and ducks his head. Yukhei also opens and holds door for him at the cafe, letting him enter first. He also pulls the chair for him and only then sits himself. Sicheng is not used to things like this and only manages to nod in thanks few times, scared to look up. Alpha’s obviously just showing his manners, but why does it make his heart beat so fast?

‘I’m not very hungry,’ he says, when Yukhei asks what he wants to order. ‘I’ll just have a coffee.’

Alpha frowns, but doesn’t push and just orders for himself when waiter appears. ‘And a coffee. Which one do you want?’

Sicheng blinks, not expecting that he won’t be the one who’ll say his order. ‘Um, just latte.’

‘And one latte. Can you bring everything together? Thanks!’ Yukhei then turns to beta, fully giving him his attention. ‘Now. I’m sure you want to know about the project. Did you bring your sketchbook? Can you open that draft of a building in the woods?’

Beta does so and he doesn’t know where to hide himself, when alpha starts praising his drawing. Sicheng corrected it yesterday, adding few details here and there, so draft won’t look so blank anymore. Yukhei says it looks brilliant and it’s the same thing he said back then, when they first met at Starbucks. Sicheng realizes that Yukhei said and did many things that no one’s has ever said or did to him. He called his draft brilliant. He called him pretty. He opened doors for him and pulled chair for him. Beta’s head swims with a new feeling of appreciation and he tries his best to focus on what alpha is saying.

‘..Of course full credit for the work will go to you, I won’t take this drawing and claim it’s mine, you don’t have to worry about that. We can also talk about your percentage from the deal, but I think it’ll make more sense to discuss this after client has already approved our concept. Do you agree?’ Yukhei looks up and Sicheng just nods. ‘You can say no, you know. You are allowed to say no.’

Sicheng bristles at that, frowning. ‘I know that. If I don’t agree with something I will say it.’

Yukhei holds up both hands in the air, leaning back a little. ‘Okay-okay! Just putting it out there.’ He then leans closer, eyes glinting. ‘So what do you say? If you need time to think it’s also okay.’

Sicheng chews on his bottom lip. Proposition in general sounds good and all he has to do is just finish his drawing and collaborate with Yukhei and his team, all credits for his work will be given to him. But when he self consciously looks at his drawing he sees nothing but unfinished horrible piece that doesn’t deserve anyone’s attention, yet alone someone who’s on such a high standing as Yukhei. He’s never been sure in his works, not for all hundred percent and he certainly never thought that anything of his deserves to be called ‘brilliant’. What is he lets everyone down?

‘I’ll think about it,’ Sicheng says and wearily looks up at alpha.

To his surprise Yukhei doesn’t look angry or offended, he simply nods respectfully and gives Sicheng’s sketchbook back to him. ‘So, that’s all for business talk. Can we move to other themes?’

Beta takes a sip of his latte and hesitantly nods. ‘What themes?’

‘Well, for example, you can tell me a bit about yourself and I’ll tell you about me too. How old are you, by the way?’ Alpha finishes his plate and signal waiter to take it away. ‘You’re still a student, so I assume around twenty?’

‘Twenty one,’ Sicheng answers, fidgeting. Before they were talking about business and he wasn’t nervous, but now that they are entering more personal area he feels nerves coming back to him full force. ‘You?’

‘Twenty seven,’ alpha answers easily and laughs when boy’s eyes widen at this. ‘Didn’t think so? I’m always told that I look younger.’

Sicheng thought that alpha’s twenty five at max and hearing his real age leaves him shocked. For some reason this gap between them seems big now, because six years is… a lot, in beta’s opinion. He checks Yukhei’s reaction, but alpha seems as nonchalant as ever and Sicheng internally sighs. _Does it really bother only him?_

‘It’s your last year, right? Any plans for the future?’ He asks.

Yukhei stares at the boy and his heart hammers in his chest, its’ loud _boom-boom-boom_ defeating in his ears. Alpha knows that he’s entering dangerous territory and that Sicheng can simply flee out of here any second, but he hopes boy will give him a chance. A huge sigh of relief leaves his mouth as Sicheng starts talking about different programs on which he wants to apply. With each sentence his confidence grows and he’s not so timid anymore; he starts gesticulating more, his voice gets louder and he looks at Yukhei instead of at his own hands. Alpha marvels at the beauty of the boy: his porcelain skin, strong eyebrows, high nose. His cheekbones, line of his jaw, long neck. Yukhei openly ogles with no shame and he likes what he’s seeing. His eyes caress boy’s shoulders, his sturdy looking chest and stop at his long fingers with trimmed nails. He looks up only when Sicheng starts talking about dance club: his eyes shine like stars and his speech picks up in speed because of the obvious excitement. _Pretty_ , Yukhei thinks. _You’re so pretty._

‘So you’ll perform on this new year show?’ He asks and Sicheng nods. ‘Can I come? Or is it only for university students?’

‘It’s for everyone,’ Sicheng answers and doesn’t dare to think that him and Yukhei will actually stay in contact till new year. ‘Entrance is free.’

‘I’ll make sure to come, then,’ alpha says, smiling. ‘Oh and by the way, your scent is absolutely amazing.’

Sicheng's eyes grow big like saucers and he leans as far as he can in the chair from alpha. Because of his excitement he got more relaxed and forgot to control his scent; beta instantly feels it, clouding around their table, wrapping both of the up in a light smell of forest after the rain. He clenches his fists and takes control of it, scent instantly getting weaker and alpha frowns at that, bewildered.

‘What-’

‘I’m not an omega,’ Sicheng cuts him off, breathing heavily. ‘I’m a beta.’

Boy prides himself for not stuttering throughout the sentence. He doesn’t want to confuse alpha, doesn’t want to lead him on; all that flirtation and interest must have been because he thought that Sicheng’s an omega, right? And he’s not, he can’t lie to someone like this. He bravely looks up, because silence that filled their table got too uncomfortable. Yukhei looks serious, eyebrows drawn together, lips pursed a bit.

‘Why are you telling me this?’ He asks and Sicheng rises one eyebrow in confusion. ‘That you’re beta. Why are you telling me this?’

‘Because- Because you’re an _alpha_!’ He sputters, shell-shocked. ‘Because I don’t want to lead you on! Many people confuse me for an omega for my scent, but I’m not. I guess you also thought that I’m an omega and that’s why you…flirted. With me. So I just wanted to clear that up.’ _This is it,_ he thinks. _This is the end._

‘I’m sorry, but I don’t see the correlation between me flirting with you and you not being an omega,’ Yukhei says, looking like a lost puppy. ‘Thanks for not wanting to lead me on, but I knew that you’re beta from the start.’

Sicheng’s left dumbfounded at alpha’s reply. First, he feels his ears turn red when alpha admits that he was flirting with him (after all it wasn’t just in Sicheng’s mind). Second, fact that Yukhei never thought of Sicheng as of omega in the first place surprises him even more.

‘If you knew then why..?’ Sicheng mumbles quietly, but by the way alpha tenses up he understand that he heard him. _I don’t understand,_ he wants to scream, but stays silent.

‘Why should I care what’s your sub-gender is?’ Yukhei asks, looking him in the eyes. ‘It doesn’t change anything. Well, at least for me.’

‘Alphas usually look for omegas,’ Sicheng says in his defense, not wanting to look stupid. _You won’t be able to deny that_.

‘Do they?’ Yukhei rises his eyebrows and then shrugs like it’s nothing. ‘I don’t look for omegas or betas or other alphas for that matter. I look for a person. What about you? Do you look for a person or another beta, omega, alpha?’

It feels like there’a dare in this question and Sicheng has never been brave enough to take up on dares. He stares at Yukhei and alpha stares back, but with no heat between his eyes, no anger. Beta realizes that they are not arguing here, at least Yukhei is definitely not arguing with him, even if Sicheng feels confronted. He mulls over an answer, looking down at his finished cup of latte. His fingers start to draw patterns on the table and he freezes when large hand covers his one. Warmth sips into his body and he swallows.

‘Sicheng,’ alpha calls and boy looks up in surprise. ‘I flirted with you because I thought you’re cute and pretty. I liked you. And if by my replies it wasn’t obvious then I’m just gonna state it now - I don’t care about yours or anyones sub-gender. I think people should be with whoever they want to be, without limitations or old stereotypes thrown at them.’

 _Cute and pretty_. Sicheng’s mind short-circuits and he tries not to blush. He’s not sure what alpha thinks of him and need to justify himself is so strong that beta lets out: ‘I agree. I- I agree with you on the last one, it’s just some people don’t think so and-’

‘I get it,’ Yukhei interrupts and smiles. ‘Glad that we’re in the same boat about it.’

Light from the windows casts a pretty orange shadow on the beta and Yukhei again marvels at his beauty. Finding some attractive is not new for him, acting on that attraction is also pretty common for alpha, but it rarely feels like this. Sicheng is different, Yukhei feels it. That conversation just now made him wonder many things, but mostly it broke his heart that this boy for a second could think that Yukhei would lose his interest in him just because he’s not an omega. Yukhei wants to assure him that he’s very, _very_ interested, but doesn't think it’s time yet.

‘Liked,’ Sicheng says quietly and alpha quickly leans closer, not wanting to miss a thing.

‘What?’ He asks and with glee realizes that beta stopped controlling his scent as he now can get a whiff of it.

‘You said you liked me,’ beta repeats and his face turns red. ‘In past tense.’

Yukhei blinks, but when realization hits him he can’t help but coo softly at the boy, who turns even redder. ‘I like you,’ he says in Mandarin, looking beta in the eyes. ‘Present tense.’

He watches as smile slowly appears on boy’s face and Yukhei smiles back. Alpha has always been bold and open about his thoughts and he’s glad that it doesn’t scare beta off. Sicheng’s smile takes his breath away and without any thinking Yukhei blurts out: ‘ _You’re so pretty, Sicheng_ ’.

Beta covers his face with hands, trying not to squeal. It’s the tone with which Yukhei said that has Sicheng squirming; alpha said it like he’s in awe. Like he truly believes what he said. _Pretty._ Word burns itself into Sicheng’s chest and beta stubbornly refuses to open his face, even when Yukhei takes a hold of his hands, trying to remove them from his face.

‘Stop covering up!’ He asks, laughing. ‘Let me see your pretty face!’

‘Stop calling me pretty!’ Beta pouts, letting his hands fall and staring at alpha with jutted out bottom lip. ‘I’m not!’

‘But you are!’ Yukhei leans halfway through the table, so close that their noses almost touch. So close, that he can probably hear the way beta’s heart beating erratically. ‘You are so pretty, Sicheng. The prettiest.’

Beta’s breath hitches and he stops breathing for full three seconds that last like eternity; alpha stares at him with his big eyes, stares right into his soul. Yukhei wants to lean even closer, to trace those high cheekbones with his lips and nuzzle his nose against Sicheng’s. He stares at the boy and thinks he’s going to call him pretty as many times as it’s needed for him to believe in it. Sicheng stares back with wide eyes and his scent grows stronger; beta blushes when alpha closes his eyes and inhales deeply. He’s not a stranger to people liking his scent: starting from Hendery, Xiaojun and Taeyong who always say how they love his smell to even Kun and Johnny, who absentmindedly comment with ‘your scent is really nice, Winwin’. But this now, seeing Yukhei looking so content while smelling him makes beta very proud of his scent. He shyly pushes alpha in the chest, signaling him to sit back.

‘Should we go somewhere else?’ Yukhei asks and asks for the check from waiter. ‘Are you free?’

Sicheng checks time - it’s six. He has some time to spare. ‘I am. Where do you want to go?’

‘There’s park nearby,’ Yukhei hands his credit card to the waiter and smiles at cash that Sicheng’s been holding to pay for his coffee. ‘Keep it. It’s my treat, alright?’

Beta blinks and slowly puts few dollar bills back into his pocket. ‘I’ll pay you back.’

Yukhei wants to scoff at that, but only nods in response. ‘Sure. There’s a park nearby, we can just sit there. You still didn’t tell me on which dialect do you speak and about the final project of yours!’

The interest that Yukhei shows in him makes beta preen. Sicheng smiles and they grab their things and walk towards the park, lightly chatting. Yukhei notices how it’s much easier for Sicheng to open up after some time has passed; conversation flows easier and he’s much more expressive. Alpha discreetly yawns and shakes his head. It’s not a time to sleep, but tiredness catch up with him, after all he didn’t have a normal sleep whole week. He tugs younger boy to stand closer to him and smiles at dust pink that immediately adorns his cheeks.

‘You blush so easily,’ he comments in Chinese and gets a light punch on his shoulder for that. ‘Hey! That hurt!’

It didn’t hurt, of course. On the contrary alpha is very happy that Sicheng feels so comfortable with him that he even teasingly punches him in the shoulder. It’s not hard to understand that this beautiful boy walking next to him is a rather closed up and shy person, who probably doesn’t open up easily; so Yukhei counts each new information he receives from him as a small victory. He wishes to just hold Sicheng’s hand, but that’s too forward and Yukhei is too afraid to scare away boy, not when he seemed to gain at least a little of his trust.

‘How about this spot?’ Sicheng points towards rather secluded spot under the tree. ‘Do you like it?’

‘I like you,’ Yukhei answers without thinking and smirks. ‘Ah, there’s that blush again!’

‘Stop!’ Sicheng whines and alpha takes a pity of him. ‘You are so… so-’

‘Forward? Shameless?’ Yukhei helps. ’It’s okay, I get that a lot.’

Sicheng stares at him in awe. ‘And you’re okay with that?’

‘Why I wouldn’t be? That’s the truth! Wait, don’t sit yet,’ Yukhei shrugs off his jacket and lays it on the grass. ‘You can sit now. Sicheng, just sit, it’s okay.’

Beta glances at no doubt expensive jacket and then back at Yukhei, who patiently waits for him to make a move. With a sigh Sicheng sits on the jacket and leans on the tree, looking up at alpha. Yukhei rolls up sleeves of his shirt, revealing tanned arms with prominent veins that Sicheng absolutely does not stare at.

‘But do people call you that right at your face? I thought- what are you _doing_?’ Sicheng’s voice gets embarrassingly high in the end, when instead of sitting next to him Yukhei lays his head on beta’s thighs.

‘Is it too much?’ Yukhei asks and for the first time he lets tiredness show in his voice. It settles somewhere deep in his bones and he can’t help but succumb to it. ‘I can sit up, no problem. I just wanted to lay like that for a little, I’m so tired.’

Sicheng stares at him and notices all the give aways of how tired alpha is. Even his voice gets lower and beta sees how he slowly relaxes, his body turning from a taut arrow to jelly. Yukhei closes his eyes and puts both hands in lock on his chest, getting comfortable on beta’s thighs. He wants to move, at least to open his eyes, but even that is hard to do.

‘If you’re so tired why did we meet today?’ Sicheng asks quietly in Mandarin, letting worry slip into his voice. ‘You should have rested.’

‘Wanted to see you,’ Yukhei mumbles in response, his Mandarin a bit slurred as he’s already half asleep. ‘Thought you won’t call and then you did and I couldn’t miss the opportunity.’

Alpha’s honesty will probably never fail to surprise Sicheng. He’s used to keeping his feelings to himself and not letting people know what’s going on in his heart; he’s never met someone so direct and open like Yukhei. It’s enticing, it draws him to alpha in a weird way. His hand rises on its own accord and he gently brushes few strands of hair out of Yukhei’s forehead. This butterfly touch brings smile at alpha’s face, but he doesn’t open his eyes, not wanting to embarrass Sicheng. _What a gentle boy_ , he thinks to himself, smiling.

‘Is work really hard?’ Sicheng asks, gazing at alpha’s face. ‘Did you not sleep well?’

‘I slept four hours all together this week,’ Yukhei answers and doesn’t see shocked expression on beta’s face. ‘I’m so tired. Wanna sleep, to be honest.’

Sicheng doesn’t know what possessed him, but in the next second his hand finds its way in Yukhei’s dark brown hair as he whispers: ‘Then sleep’ in Mandarin. He starts brushing alpha’s hair with his fingers and picks up a barely audible purr that resonates from deep within Yukhei’s chest. Alpha’s scent gets more prominent, satisfaction obvious in it and Sicheng in response also lets out a little bit of his own scent too, hoping it’ll calm alpha’s nerves. He starts humming a tune and lightly massages Yukhei’s scalp with his fingers. This position is new, but it doesn’t feel so; it’s like they did this so many times that action is extremely familiar. Sicheng looks down at peaceful expression on man’s face and smiles to himself; like this alpha looks even younger, he can easily past for a student. _What sort of magic you have?_ Beta asks silently, gently tracing beautiful features with his finger. _How do you make me feel all of this?_ Sicheng doesn’t let people he doesn’t know lay their heads on his thighs. Sicheng doesn’t open up to people easily, doesn’t caress their faces while they catch up on much needed sleep. _What are you doing to me?_ He checks time and bites his lower lip; he needs to head out in thirty minutes if he doesn’t want to be late for the party. Sicheng looks down at sleeping alpha and carefully pulls sketchbook out of his bag. Trying not to disturb, he tests the waters of alpha’s sleep by laying sketchbook on his hands. When Yukhei doesn’t react on this Sicheng pulls out graphite crayon and starts drawing. He gets lost in time, calmed by a mix of his and Yukhei’s scent. In times when inspiration comes Sicheng gets too caught up in it, afraid that it’ll slip away before he gets to draw something. Line after line, drawing soon gets a shape and then shadows - it turns into a picture. Sicheng draws a silhouette of a tall man, standing next to the car. He adds road, trees, passing people. Soon convenience store appears on the right side and block of buildings on the left. Beta adds details to everything but the silhouette and pauses only when his phone vibrates. It startles him and alpha too; Yukhei yawns and opens his eyes, looking adorably lost. ‘Hey, Winwin, are you coming?’ Mark’s voice sounds too loud in the quietness between them. Sicheng doesn’t say anything and lets Yukhei sit up. He checks time and with shock realizes that almost hour and a half passed. Yukhei turns to him with raised eyebrow. Alpha looks sleepy, worn out and tired: his eyes are half-open and lips are formed into a pout.

‘Winwin? Hello? Dude, can you hear me?’ Sicheng presses his hand on the phone, trying to muffle Mark’s voice.

He looks at alpha and this time doesn’t even try to resist his urges; his hand shoots up to comb a mess that is Yukhei’s hair now. Alpha smiles at that, leans to the touch and looks so much like puppy that Sicheng’s sure if he scratches him behind the ear Yukhei will melt like most of the dogs do.

‘Do you need to go somewhere?’ Yukhei asks in a quiet whisper, opening his eyes. ‘I can drive you.’

‘I…’ Sicheng looks down at his phone and then back at alpha.

He doesn’t want this to end. He doesn’t want to go to that party right now and leave Yukhei. He wants to stay, spend more hours with him and it probably shows on his face, because alpha leans closer and takes hand that’s been in his hair into his palm. He maintains eye contact and whispers: ‘Or we can go somewhere else?’

‘WINWIN ANSWER ME!’ Mark screams from the other side and Sicheng pays him no mind, hypnotized by Yukhei’s eyes.

Beta slowly puts phone close to his ear and looking at alpha says: ‘I can’t come, sorry.’

‘What? Why?’ Mark whines and whines even more when Sicheng tells him he has some plans that he can’t cancel. ‘But dude, it’s Ten! You promised him!’

‘I’ll stop by, but I’m going to be late,’ Sicheng replies and once Mark calms down and asks him to come quicker, he puts phone back into the pocket.

He and Yukhei stare at each other silence, both understanding what that meant. Sicheng chose him. Yukhei’s smile is blinding and his grin is contagious - Sicheng smiles back, ducking his head down.

‘I’m sorry for falling asleep like that,’ alpha says and squeezes his hand. ‘Let me make it up to you.’

‘You don’t have to,’ Sicheng whispers.

‘I want to,’ Yukhei stands up and offers him his hand. ‘Please. Let me make it up to you.’

Sicheng takes his hand and stands up too, blushing when alpha doesn’t let go of his hand. ‘Okay.’

It’s so easy to say ‘okay’ to Yukhei. Alpha makes him feel weird: like he’s falling too fast, too soon, but like’s he doesn’t need to worry, because he will catch him. _Dangerous,_ his mind reminds him. _This is dangerous._ When Yukhei asks if Sicheng wants to just stop somewhere to grab food and drive around the city Sicheng knows that he should say no if he wants this feeling to stop. But does he want it to stop? _You need to let go_ , Xiaojun’s voice reminds him.

‘So? What do you think?’ Yukhei asks, dusting off his jacket.

‘Okay,’ Sicheng says and quickly hides his drawing, putting sketchbook into his bag. ‘Let’s go.’

Yukhei smiles and takes his hand into his. Sicheng looks at alpha and thinks maybe it’s not going to be that bad. Maybe falling for someone who smells like cedar wood, resembles puppy and makes Sicheng think of sunshine and everything warm won’t be that bad. _I like you,_ Yukhei said. _Present tense._ Sicheng follows alpha to his car and smiles at their joined hands. _I like you too_ , he thinks to himself. _Present tense._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWO IMPORTANT FACTS: 
> 
> 1\. listen in their video for ‘TheShow’ when the task was to write first thing that comes to mind when they see lucas sicheng wrote ‘ANGEL’ and!!! MY LUWIN HEART JUST BROKE INTO MILLION PIECES, because he looks at lucas and thinks 'angel' and lnlgnlM{PMP:M   
> 2\. on their vlive kun took sicheng's hand in his and said: 'no matter in which situation we are in, you bring us so much happiness. you are wayv's happiness' AND THAT IS SO PRECIOUS OUR SICHENGIE IS SO PRECIOUS 
> 
> ok, im sorry for shouting, back to the chapter;   
> yes, for yukhei it's love at first sight. sicheng feels kinda the same? you know when you meet someone and you're immediately attracted to the person and want to get to know them? yeah, that's what sicheng feels  
> honestly yukhei's here to solve all of sicheng's insecurities and help him become more of himself and it is puRe!! you'll get your smut and passion with jaehyun/taeyong😛   
> luwin chapters generally will be pretty chill, just saying. don't expect lots of drama with them, we have another couple for that lmao
> 
> as always! come to my tumblr to talk: http://sentimentaals.tumblr.com   
> your kudos and comments make me want to cry🥺 thank you for being so kind! i hope this chapter wasn't very boring to you all ((


	10. of kisses and best friends

Every kiss lingers on Jaehyun’s skin and he grits his teeth, when omega carelessly leaves a hickey on the base of his neck. He wants to say that they shouldn’t leave marks, but when he looks at Taeyong’s neck alpha knows he won’t be able to follow his own word: Taeyong’s skin is too enticing to resist. He leans his seat back to the maximum and sighs in pleasure, when other boy climbs on his lap, eyes glinting with a sinful promise.

‘Come here,’ Jaehyun whispers and Taeyong follows without any second thought, eagerly connecting their mouths in a kiss.

Jung guides omega’s head to the right and grips nape of his neck, controlling his movement. Jaehyun relishes in the way boy above him trembles, eyes already glassy and lips so puffy that alpha dives in for another kiss, sucking on Taeyong’s tongue. Burning need consumes his body and when Taeyong leans back with a heated gaze Jaehyun smirks, bringing boy’s head close to his.

‘Taeyongie,’ he calls, tracing his index finger up and down his thigh. ‘You said you trust me, right?’

Taeyong nods, wetting his lips. They only source of lights comes from a streetlamp on the corner and it’s so dark in the car, but Jaehyun sees omega perfectly. He sees how his chest rises quickly, how his nipples stand out against his shirt that clings to his body like a second skin. He sees prominent collarbones, fire burning in omega’s eyes and little beads of sweat on his forehead. _What an art._ Jaehyun holds eye contact as he places both his hands on omega’s backside.

‘If you trust me then will you take off your shirt?’ His voice is barely audible between heavy breathing, but by the way Taeyong squeezes his shoulders alpha understands that he heard him just right.

With a nod, he slowly leans back and starts unbuttoning his shirt. Taeyong didn’t tease on the dance floor, but he sure as hell is teasing now, putting up a little show for alpha to see. Button after button, slowly, sensually, opening up more and more of a skin; his fingers tracing along his sides, opening shirt, giving alpha full view of his chest. Jaehyun tries to act unaffected, but Taeyong’s ass presses right against his bulge and he breathes in through nose, remaining calm. His eyes burn holes in omega’s body and Taeyong smirks, carelessly throwing his shirt on the backseat. He is not shy or embarrassed; it’s the complete opposite, actually. Lee looks at alpha with a silent dare, running his hands along his chest and even twitches his nipples, letting out a loud gasp that goes straight to Jung’s dick, hardening it. He knows he’s undeniably handsome and he knows exactly what he’s doing. _Little vixen_. Jaehyun moves and widens his legs as much as it’s possible, gripping omega’s hips. He draws calming circles with his thumbs and Taeyong rewards him with a small smile - even in this situation the fact that Jaehyun doesn’t want him to be nervous warms his heart. Alpha’s hand rises and flows down his chest, leaving a trail of goosebumps; omega bites his lip, looking at him expectantly. Seulgi was not wrong when she said that Jaehyun liked submissive ones in bed - his dominant nature couldn’t tolerate anything else. Jung looks at the boy sitting on his lap and silently marvels at the contrast: feisty and stubborn on work, but so submissive and pliant under alpha’s touch. Jaehyun knows that Taeyong is perfect in his submission, it’s etched in the way omega wants alpha to take control, his need to follow orders written in his eyes. _So perfect for me._

‘Do you want to get yourself off, Taeyong?’ Jaehyun asks and lightly grazes omega’s hard-on with his hand. Taeyong nods, looking up at him with pout. ‘Then get off, baby.’

Alpha’s grip on hips is tough as he lifts omega a little and makes him position one his leg between his, so Taeyong won’t be straddling his hips but only his right leg. When he roughly slams omega down on his thigh Taeyong lets out a surprised gasp, hands gripping the back of driver’s seat behind alpha’s head. Jaehyun smirks and guides Taeyong’s hips in rocking motion against his thigh.

‘I-’ Taeyong tries to say but instead lets out a choked moan, when alpha flexes his muscles underneath him. ‘Oh god.’

‘Get off like that,’ Jaehyun orders in a soft tone, testing waters. ‘Will you do that for me?’ Taeyong nods, hips moving on their own accord, seeking friction. ‘Good, just like that. My pretty omega.’

Whine that leaves Taeyong’s mouth on last words makes Jaehyun grit his teeth to avoid cursing. In awe he watches as need consumes boy next to him, his movements growing quicker and breathing turning uneven. Jaehyun flexes few more times, watching omega gasp and tremble, concentrated look on his face. His dick twitches in the confines of pants, but alpha ignores it in favor of taking control; instead of just grinding he makes Taeyong lift his hips and slam them down, making sure to flex each time omega comes down, loving how his resolve crumbles with each time.

‘F-fuck, alpha,’ Taeyong whimpers, chasing his orgasm. ‘Please-’

‘What is it?’ Jaehyun asks in a mocking tone, one hand reaching out and taking omega’s perky nipple between his fingers. ‘Can’t cum like that?’ Taeyong nods, face scrunched in frustration because he wants to cum, but this friction is not enough to set him off. ‘But I want you to cum just from riding my thigh, Taeyongie. Can’t you do that for me, baby boy?’

Taeyong whines low in his throat, when alpha starts playing with his nipple, twitching and pulling until it turns bright red. He does the same with the other and Taeyong’s about to moan, when alpha sits up and presses him firmly against his thigh, claiming his lips with his. Kiss is all teeth and tongue and it only strengthens desire in both of them, their scents growing stronger and stronger. Taeyong’s mind is in a fog, he lets Jaehyun control his movements and lets go; it’s the sweetest thing, pleasure running through him in electric waves. None of his previous partners were able to put him into his space like that, so easily and effortlessly; Jaehyun did it without degrading, showing his strength or harsh words. Taeyong wants control to be taken from his hands in the bed, to just let go and follow orders of someone stronger, who’ll have his pleasure in mind too. He didn’t have it with others, because most understood it in odd ways: they thought he wanted to be called ‘slut’ or thrown around like a rag doll. But Taeyong just wanted to feel safe, to know that he can submit to the person, who won’t even think of calling him such names or hurting him. Jaehyun exudes this aura, everything about him screams of a gentle dominant partner with his ‘ _I will never hurt you_ ’ that Taeyong’s been waiting for. Even right now with few simple movements alpha makes him melt into a puddle and his mind focus on and one and one thing only - him.

‘So sweet,’ Jaehyun mutters into his neck, licking a long stripe. ‘My sweet omega.’

Taeyong shudders and starts working his hips faster, burning pit forming somewhere in his stomach. Hearing ‘ _my omega_ ’ from Jaehyun’s lips is exhilarating - it makes his heart beat faster and blood boil in his veins. The fact that alpha at first didn’t even want to address this issue, but now calls him ‘ _his_ omega’ excites Taeyong. Jaehyun, of course, notices. He sucks on Taeyong’s neck and lets go only when a small bruise is formed, making omega moan from the mix of pain and pleasure.

‘Do you like it when I call you that?’ He asks and covers Taeyong’s bulge with his hand, smirking when omega’s speed stutters. ‘My omega? Want me to call you that more?’ With a light blush on his cheeks Taeyong nods and loudly moans, when Jaehyun moves his leg and squeezes omega’s aching member. ‘I need you to say it, baby. Use your words.’

‘Y-yes, _fuck_ \- yes, alpha, I like it,’ Taeyong pants, feeling his orgasm creep up on him. ‘I’m close.’

‘You can cum,’ Jaehyun says and moves to meet Taeyong’s frantic thrusts. ‘Look at you, you’re _an art_ baby, cum for me, Taeyong. Do it.’

It takes few more moves and Jaehyun closing his teeth around omega’s shoulder for him to cum in his underwear, gasping and turning slack from pleasure against alpha’s sturdy body. Taeyong leans his head on Jung’s shoulder and tries to even out his breath, when he feels his zipper being pulled down. Jaehyun peppers his right side of face with little kisses and pats him lightly on the bum, silent command to lift his hips. Taeyong does that, mind still reeling from orgasm; he groans loudly, when Jaehyun’s hand pulls out his dick from his underwear.

‘You did good,’ alpha whispers into his ear and Taeyong can’t help but smile. ‘Do you feel good?’

Taeyong nods. He sits up straighter and Jaehyun pulls both his legs together, making it easier for omega to straddle his hips again. Taeyong feels hard-on underneath him and it awakes his desire. He has half of a mind to tease alpha with grinding, but all thoughts get wiped out from his mind when big hand closes around his soft member. Still sensitive from orgasm, Taeyong convulses forward when alpha starts to jerk him off.

‘No-’, he mutters and tries to take Jaehyun’s hand away. ‘Still sensitive-’

‘Shh,’ Jaehyun’s other hand caresses omega’s back and flows up till he grips nape of his neck. He makes omega look him in the eye, pulling him closer. ‘You trust me, right? I’m gonna take care of you.’

Taeyong writhes, but he can’t move with his forehead pressed to Jaehyun’s. His hand flies to the arm rest and he grips it so tight his knuckles turn white. Hot puffs of air fill little distance between their mouths and Jaehyun sticks his tongue out, tracing omega’s upper lip with it. He alternates his strokes between fast and slow ones, but always gripping hard; it’s a sweet torture for Taeyong. He can’t stop letting out pitiful whines, all of his senses on haywire from oversensitivity: line between pleasure and pain blurs and becomes almost non existent.

‘Alpha,’ he calls, squeezing his eyes shut. ’T-too much, it’s too much!’

Tears pool in his eyes but he refuses to let Jaehyun see, sniffling quietly. Pleasure burns in his body, but it’s painful too, all of the sensations threaten to drown him in their strength. Jaehyun continues to jerk him off, not taking his eyes from his face, watching it confront in pain before it melts into the pleasure. Jung notices how Taeyong called him ‘alpha’ all this time and not by his name; he drags his finger along prominent vein on his hard dick and smirks at the wailed noise he receives.

‘Is it too much? Can’t my omega take it?’ He asks tauntingly, watching Taeyong bite his lip at this. ‘Who am I, Taeyong?’

‘A-lpha,’ he gets in response, relishing at the way omega starts bucking his hips up. ‘My alpha.’

‘And if your alpha says that you should take it, then what do you do?’ Jaehyun twists his hand _just right_ and Taeyong howls, few tears slipping out from the corner of his eyes.

‘I take it,’ he answers, sniffling. ‘I take it!’

‘That’s right,’ Jaehyun eases his grip, tracing his thumb along the tip. Taeyong shivers, panting heavily. ‘You take it, because I’m your alpha, Taeyong. I will never make you do something that will hurt. Trust me and I will always make you feel good.’

Jaehyun starts jerking him off at earnest, moves fast and harsh, not letting omega take a break. Taeyong’s hips starts stuttering, pace breaks and his jaw slacks as another wave of orgasm nears. He cums with a drawn out shout, semen shooting on Jaehyun’s hand and his stomach. Omega quivers, crying and whining high in his throat when alpha starts cleaning him off with a hand. Jaehyun coos at him and brings his fingers to his mouth, licking off the semen. Alpha doesn’t even bat an eyelash on salty taste, staring at a fucked out Taeyong. Omega leans fully back, hitting steering wheel with his shoulder blades but paying it no mind. He looks utterly spent with tear streaks on his face and drying cum on his lean stomach. It’s such a vulgar and erotic image with his naked chest and dick out on display - he looks like Jaehyun’s wet dream, his hidden fantasy turned into reality. Alpha can’t help but reach out with his hand to pinch Taeyong’s nipple, but lets go once omega shakes his head and whines, swatting at him.

‘No,’ Taeyong mumbles, eyes still closed.

Jaehyun smiles. _God, what I can do to you._ He slowly sits up and opens up glovebox, taking few napkins out of there. He cleans omega gently, holding him still when he twitches out of sensitivity. Jaehyun pulls his member back into underwear and does the zipper. He throws used napkins on the floor and pulls Taeyong on him, hugging him.

‘You good?’Jung asks quietly, running his hand through omega’s wet hair. He’s sweaty and through touch receptors Jaehyun registers smell of semen mixed with his own, but it only makes alpha hug him tighter. When he doesn’t receive a reply Jaehyun starts caressing his back and asks again: ‘Taeyong, are you okay?’ Omega hums noncommittally and whines, when alpha makes him raise his head and look at him. ‘Words, remember?’ Jaehyun cocks his head the side. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Yes,’ Taeyong’s voice breaks and he clears his throat. ‘Yes, I am.’

Jaehyun smiles, cupping his cheeks and leaving small kiss on his forehead. Without looking away from omega he tries to find bottle of water that’s supposed to be somewhere on his backseat and when he finds it, he hands it to the boy. ‘Good. Here, drink.’

Taeyong takes it with thankful smile. They sit in silence, Taeyong cuddled on Jaehyun’s lap. He loves the way alpha caresses his naked back and almost lulls to sleep, when he’s being gently prompted to sit up.

‘Taeyong,’ Jaehyun starts and tries to keep a serious face, but it’s hard when omega in front of him rubs his eyes with small fists. _Adorable_. ‘Were you okay with what happened?’ Taeyong looks adorably puzzled at first but then he becomes serious and nods. ‘You said you trust me.’

‘I do,’ Taeyong confirms and reaches out for his shirt. He blushes a little when he starts buttoning it up and Jaehyun’s heart squeezes in his chest at this. ‘I do trust you.’

‘You are…’ Alpha pauses, trying to find right words. ‘You prefer to let someone else take control.’

‘I submit,’ omega says bluntly, no trace of shame in his voice. ‘Not with everyone, but… with you. Yes. If we ever do that again I.. would like to submit. To you. Fully.’

At these words Jaehyun’s long forgotten member hardens. _You have no idea what you do to me_. He licks his lips and tugs on Taeyong’s hand, making him lean a bit closer. Omega smiles and nuzzles his nose against his, adding affection to Jaehyun’s building desire.

‘When you go in that space I need you to know that I will always take care of you,’ Jaehyun says in all seriousness. It’s so important for him to make omega understand that he won’t hurt him, won’t use given power to loom over him or abuse him in any way. ‘I won’t push you past your limits. A little overstimulation is fine with everyone, mostly. It was fine for you, right?’

Taeyong nods. ‘I would have said definite no if it wasn’t okay.’

‘And if you’d say so I would have listened and stopped,’ Jaehyun assures him. ‘Your trust means everything. I won’t break it.’

Smile that Taeyong gives him is enough to light up whole town. They move in sync and press their lips against each other in a gentle kiss. There’s no hurry, no frantic movements - just lips sliding against one another, tongues lazily meeting somewhere in between.

‘What about you?’ Taeyong asks and wiggles a little. ‘You didn’t-’

‘I’m fine, it was about you tonight,’ alpha answers and presses kiss on Taeyong’s nose. ‘Do you want to go back to the party?’

‘No, my underwear is a mess,’ Taeyong’s nose scrunches up in disgust. ‘And I wanna shower. Can you drive me home?’

Jaehyun nods and they make a quick work of going back to their seats: Taeyong climbs to the passenger seat and fastens his seatbelt, while Jaehyun adjusts his seat closer and turns the engine on. Both of them open their windows and let fresh air enter, wiping out any scent of sex from the car. Ride back to Taeyong’s apartment is silent, but it’s a comfortable one. Taeyong relaxes on his seat, turning to the side and watching alpha whole time.

‘I’m starting to understand why all girls in doramas like to watch their crush driving,’ he says. ‘You look really sexy when you drive.’

Alpha chuckles at that, but his chest puffs out a tiniest bit, making it obvious that he liked what he heard. Jaehyun has only one hand on a steering wheel, another stays put on the arm rest. He doesn’t look very concentrated on the road or nervous; the way alpha leans back and his relaxed posture really looks sexy in omega’s eyes.

‘Only when I drive?’ Jaehyun asks, glancing at omega.

‘Are you fishing for compliments?’ Taeyong squints and laughs a little. He looks at alpha’s profile and adds quietly, more somber: ‘It was a really nice date. From the start to the finish. I enjoyed it a lot and I’m happy that we got to know each other more.’

Jaehyun turns his head to him when they stop at traffic lights. ‘Good. I really enjoyed it too.’

Taeyong shyly extends his hand and sighs in relief when alpha readily takes it. Their hands stay locked till they reach his apartment. Omega turns and hesitates; what should he do next? Just wave and go? Kiss his cheek and go? Array of thoughts turn in his head and he decides to just wave and go, not wanting to think it over too much.

‘Thanks for driving me,’ he says and unbuckle his seatbelt. ‘I’ll go. Bye.’

He does an awkward wave and turns to leave, when Jaehyun grabs his wrist, making him turn around. ‘A wave? Really?’ He asks and Taeyong blushes. ‘If that’s all with what you’re comfortable right now then it’s fine, but I’d really like to kiss you if you let me.’

Taeyong moves closer and alpha leaves soft kiss on his lips, tracing his cheek with his thumb. They stare at each other longer than needed, but both are adamant to break eye contact. Taeyong is the one who does it though, turning and getting out of the car. A lot has happened today and he needs to think it over, away from alpha. He waves and rushes to his apartment, knowing that alpha’s watching him. When he turns, just like he predicted, Jaehyun’s car still there. Taeyong smiles and gets in, only then hearing rumbling engine of the car driving away. His heart is light and he skips towards the elevator, smiling widely to himself. When he opens door to his shared apartment he immediately hears sounds from the kitchen; he removes his shoes quietly and rushes to his room, wanting to change his clothes before Sicheng will see him.

‘Yongie?’ Sicheng calls, when Taeyong’s already halfway naked in his room.

‘I’ll shower first!’ Taeyong shouts and scrambles to the shower, throwing his underwear away in distaste.

It’s only when he’s drying himself off does he notice hickeys and bites that Jaehyun left. The one on his shoulder can be easily covered, but the one on his neck is bright red and stands out proudly. Taeyong traces his finger on the hickey, barely touching it; memories of how exactly it was placed rush to him and he smiles. It felt so impossibly good. Jaehyun made him feel so good that he couldn’t think of anything else. Knock on the door startles omega and he quickly throws towel on the shoulder, half covering his bruises, when Sicheng’s head pops into bathroom.

‘I called you two times and you didn’t answer, so I came to check,’ beta says. ‘You okay?’

Taeyong nods. ‘I am. By the way, I didn’t see you at Ten’s farewell. You didn’t come?’

Sicheng shuffles on his place, looking down. ‘I came but Ten was… busy. So I left quickly.’

Omega huffs and turns around, grabbing his t-shirt and pulling it on. He knows exactly what Sicheng means by Ten being ‘busy’. When Lee came to the party and congratulated Thai alpha he did notice drunk Hendery sticking close to him and judging by the way how uncomfortable Sicheng looks, then it’s not hard to put two and two together and understand that beta probably caught these two making out somewhere.

‘You stayed for long?’ Sicheng asks. ‘At the party, I mean.’

‘Forty minutes at max, I congratulated Ten, mingled a bit, danced a little. You don’t like Ten anymore, right?’ Taeyong asks, verifying. ‘Your crush ended last year, no?’

‘Yeah, it did,’ Sicheng nods and omega breathes out in relief. ‘So how was your meeting with Mr.Jung?’

Taeyong tries to fight back blush that’s crawling on his cheeks. He clears his throat and attempt to shrug it off, when Sicheng turns him and silently points at the hickey on his neck. Omega freezes, turning redder than tomato under his roommate’s gaze.

‘You don’t have to say anything,’ Sicheng says quietly, squeezing his shoulder. ‘I just care about your well-being. I’m assuming everything went good?’ Taeyong nods, still not being able to find words and hoping Sicheng won’t push. As always when it comes to Sicheng, his hope turns out to be a reality. ‘Okay. I’m glad.’

Overwhelmed with sudden affection for younger boy, Taeyong hugs him tight, planting few kisses on his cheek. Sicheng doesn’t fight him and hugs back, chuckling softly. ‘I’m so happy that I have you,’ Taeyong whispers into his ear. ‘You’re the best, Sichengie. I’ll tell everything later, okay? I promise.’ He boops beta’s nose, laughing when his roommate slaps him in retaliation. ‘But where were you? You stayed at home?’

‘I met up with a friend,’ Sicheng answers and while that’s not exactly a lie, Taeyong knows that there’s something more to it by the way beta bites his lower lip. ‘I think I’ll be able to share some really good news soon.’

‘Oh?’ Taeyong’s eyes widen and he grips his friend’s shoulders, shaking him. ‘Tell me!’

Sicheng laughs and they half-heartedly struggle, limbs tangled in a mess as they exit bathroom and tumble to omega’s room. Sicheng doesn’t mention how he saw dirty underwear in the bin. Taeyong doesn’t mention how he can smell another scent clinging on beta’s skin. That’s one of the reasons why they are close friends - mutual understanding that doesn’t need to be voiced.

‘Let’s visit Johnny tomorrow?’ Taeyong suggests, throwing blanket over himself. ‘It’s been quite a long time since we’ve seen him.’

Sicheng nods and wishes him goodnight. Beta stops at the door, turns his light off and then quietly closes door after himself. He sighs and stands few more seconds on the same spot, debating whether he should crawl back into Taeyong’s bed and tell him that it feels like he’s developed a crush on someone who he probably shouldn’t develop a crush on. There’s a second of hesitation, when beta almost turns around, but then he hears rustling of bedsheets, meaning Taeyong is getting comfortable on bed, so he turns back and walks to his room, heart heavy with all of the secrets.

+=+

Jaehyun just prepared to make himself some tea when the sound of someone entering code into his apartment disturbed his thoughts. Alpha tensed for a second but when door opened and he heard Yukhei’s loud ‘I’m home, honey!’, he rolled his eyes, chuckling good-naturedly. His friend enters kitchen excitedly, smile so wide that Jaehyun makes a whole show of pretending that he got blinded by it. In reality, he feels relief rushing through his veins at seeing Yukhei not depressed because of the project, but happy.

‘Your short answers to my texts made me think that you’re swamped with work, but you look too happy for someone who spent whole Saturday in the office,’ Jaehyun comments, while Yukhei rummages through his fridge, trying to find something to eat. ‘Where have you been?’

‘Swamped with work in the office,’ Yukhei replies and then turns, winking: ‘For the first half of the day.’

‘Don’t act like you didn’t come here to spill news, so don’t make me guess what happened,’ Jaehyun says and sighs, when Wong starts to check his takeout food. He wants to act exasperated but in honesty it warms his heart, just like it does every single time, when Yukhei start checking dates on his food and smells everything so Jaehyun won’t eat by accident something spoiled. ‘Seriously, you didn’t come here at midnight to check my containers.’

‘I came cause Seulgi called and said that you were in a hurry to get away from her house to Taeyong,’ Yukhei finds container with seafood and smiles happily, putting it on the table. ‘So I naturally had to learn how everything went between you two. And I miss you, you know. We haven’t really seen each other these days.’

Yukhei knows Jaehyun is not very good with words of affection, but he knows him very well and when Jung comes closer and hugs him it’s an unspoken ‘i miss you too’, which makes Yukhei smile and pat him on the back. Jaehyun heats up Yukhei’s container and boils tea.

‘You smell different,’ Yukhei comments suddenly and comes closer, sniffing his friend. ‘Sweet. Like strawberry.’

Jaehyun tries not to blush, because he’s not fifteen. ‘It’s Taeyong.’

When he turns Yukhei is looking at him with a smug grin on and Jung sighs, knowing that interrogation is on the way. ‘But smell is literally etched into your skin. I guess everything went really well. Did you fall and land on his lips?’

‘Are you actually twelve?’ Jaehyun asks, shaking his head and smiling when Yukhei starts making kissing noises. ‘I take it back, you’re five, not twelve.’

‘I’m your best friend,’ he says proudly and grabs his container and fork, digging into the food. ‘Now tell me.’

Jaehyun mulls for some time on what exactly to tell and settles for simple: ‘We went on a date.’ Yukhei rises his eyebrows, obviously wanting more information and with a sigh Jung complies: ‘It was really nice. I learned a lot about him.’

‘And did you like what you learned?’ Yukhei asks, chewing loudly. ‘You seem very… relaxed. Haven’t seen you like that in a while. Do you like him?’

Jung traces edge of countertop with his finger, looking down. Does he like Taeyong? Is he ready to say it out loud? ‘Yes.’

‘I went deaf for a second there, sorry, what you said?’

‘I’m actually gonna kill you,’ Jaehyun deadpans, but Yukhei’s smile only gets bigger. _Little shit._ Jung clears his throat and says loudly: ‘I like him. Happy?’

‘For you? Very!’ Yukhei’s grin is infectious and it’s impossible not to smile back. ‘So when are we coming to the part where he plasters himself on you? Because there’s no other way for you to smell that strongly of him.’

‘You’re worse than Seulgi!’

‘She would have straight up asked if you two had sex. I, on other hand, am being tactful here and I can’t believe that my efforts are not appreciated.’ Yukhei huffs. ‘For real, did you two take it to the second base?’

‘Will you stop speaking like a twelve year old boy?! What the fuck is second base?’ Jaehyun swats Yukhei’s back with kitchen towel. ‘And I’m not talking about my sex life. Ever.’

Yukhei laughs and jumps out from the chair, when Jaehyun tries to swat at him again. They make two circles around the table and Wong manages to spill alpha’s tea, which stops both them from running some more.

‘So you two are serious?’ Yukhei asks, kneeling to clean the mess he made. ‘Like full on dating and stuff? What about our policies?’

‘God, I don’t know.’ Jaehyun leans on the fridge, sighing.

The thing is _it’s not that easy_. They have strict policies in the company against omegas, but also against any romance going on between workers. No dating rule is not the one which you can close your eyes on; it’s strictly prohibited. Before Jaehyun understood the reasoning behind such policies, but Taeyong makes him look differently on many things: starting from no omegas rule to a dating policy also.

‘What about the fact that he’s an omega? What you two decided? Gonna keep it in secret?’

‘I have no idea,’ Jaehyun honestly answers. ‘We haven’t discussed any of this.’

‘Of course not, you two were very busy with other things,’ Yukhei snickers and quickly dives to the right, when Jaehyun throws fork at him. ‘Hey!’

‘Is this is your strategy to avoid me asking about you?’ Jaehyun narrows his eyes and comes closer. ‘What got you so happy? Was it that barista from Starbucks?’

Yukhei’s smile looks so genuine and happy that Jaehyun freezes. Wong bites his lower lip and his face gets this look like he’s daydreaming or longing for someone. When Yukhei starts talking about the boy - _Sicheng_ , he says dreamily, - his eyes glaze over and he’s staring at the space with the loveliest smile that Jaehyun has ever seen on him. While Yukhei does have casual partners here and there he never talked about them in this way, like it’s something precious. Happiness for a friend fills Jung’s heart.

‘So you told him that you liked him,’ Jaehyun concludes. ‘On the first meeting? Bold even for you, Yukhei.’

Alpha shrugs. ‘What’s the point in hiding? I just said it as it is. I’m hyped though, if we start working together on that project it’ll be amazing!’

Jaehyun smiles, coming closer to ruffle Yukhei’s hair. Despite age, Wong still has this boyish charm, this irresistible pull to him that makes Jaehyun want to pinch his cheeks and coo at his cute pout. Excitement written all over his face and Jung feels a pang of jealousy - he wishes it’d be that easy for him and Taeyong too.

‘He is so cute,’ Yukhei says and giggles to himself. ‘And he’s such a deep thinker, talking with him is actually interesting, you know? Not like it usually is, when you both just scratch a surface of some topics, not getting into them fully. There is a connection between us, I- stop laughing! There really is a connection between us!’

‘I’m not laughing, I’m sorry,’ Jaehyun chuckles, when his friend hits him in the shoulder. ‘I’m sorry, I believe you! I promise.’

Yukhei looks at him with narrowed eyes but then smiles widely. ‘I have a good feeling about him.’

‘Good,’ Jaehyun answers, nodding. ‘I’m happy for you.’

They shift to the living room and Yukhei yawns, rubbing his eyes. He falls on the couch and takes up whole space, not leaving Jaehyun place to sit. Moonlight shines on both of them through the window and Jung sighs quietly, not wanting to disturb the peace. Yukhei turns his head to him and sits up straighter, concentrated look on the face.

‘You two should discuss it,’ he says. ‘Or are you planning to keep him as a dirty secret?’

Jaehyun shakes his head. Taeyong already hides the fact that he’s an omega, so adding one more secret to him sounds unfair. But Jaehyun also doesn’t want to act like they are some secret, star-crossed lovers. He’s not in that age to hide behind closed doors and lie to everyone, but what else he can do?

‘I’ll talk with Irene,’ Jaehyun mutters, mostly to himself. ‘I’m National Sales manager, I should have a power over HR department, I believe.’

‘Say that to her face and watch as she’ll slap your confidence out of you,’ Yukhei replies. ‘You know how Irene is, she won’t let anyone tower over her. Maybe try different approach? Don’t we have to report to HR if we start dating someone from the company? If you’ll just come and-’

‘Taeyong is my _direct_ subordinate. If we were at least in different departments then us dating would have been easier to pull through,’ Jaehyun sighs, running fingers through his hair. ‘But I’m his _manager_. I literally have power over him, they will never let this happen.’

Jaehyun looks so grim that Yukhei sighs. He wants to help his friend, but realization that he can do nothing eats him out inside. Different ideas change one another in his mind, but nothing stands out, nothing that can actually work.

‘Maybe… Taeyong can stay here just till the end of the project?’ Yukhei suggests and Jaehyun rises his head, looking at him. ‘I mean, listen Jae, I have nothing against him and I’m really happy for both of you being destined mates, but he’s literally lying to everyone about being a beta. Taeyong won’t stay in our company for long, we both know that. He won’t be able to hide his sub-gender forever. Someone else will learn the truth and then it will blow out of proportion and harm him extensively.’

Jaehyun knows that his friend is right. The fact that both of them know true sub-gender of Taeyong and yet keep it a secret also makes them part of the whole lie. And Jaehyun is okay with that, but he doesn’t want to drag Yukhei in this mess.

‘Project ends in three months, deadline is in January,’ he says. ‘And after we finish that project..’

‘Taeyong has to go, Jae. For his own benefit.’ Yukhei interrupts. He wants to add that even three months is a big stretch, that he doesn’t believe this secret will stay a secret for that long, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he continues with: ‘We both know how HR departments work, if Irene’ll learn that Taeyong is omega she will make sure all other big companies will learn this as well and they won’t hire him. You know how loyal she is to this company, she won’t let him live.’

A powerful surge of protectiveness builds up in Jaehyun’s chest at Yukhei’s last words. He won’t let anyone hurt Taeyong. He knows this young man for two weeks, but just the thought of someone hurting him makes him livid. Taeyong is _his_ omega, _his_ destined mate, he _can’t_ be hurt. Not in the company where Jaehyun has an influence and power, not when Jaehyun is capable of preventing the harm.

‘I’ll figure it out,’ Jaehyun says confidently. ‘Thanks, Yukhei.’

‘Always,’ Yukhei smiles and stands up. ‘This time I will have some decency and won’t sleep over.’

Jaehyun walks his friend to the door and watches him tie his shoelaces in silence. When Yukhei stands up, he has this serious look on his face, no trace of smile. He grips Jaehyun’s shoulder in one hand and squeezes.

‘I’m here for you,’ he says in a matter-of-fact tone. ‘I know it’s shitty and it makes so mad that a happy occasion such as you getting together with a destined mate can’t be celebrated. I hate situation in which both of you are in. But you’ll power through this and if anything happens and you’ll need help, you know you can always call me up. I’m always rooting for you and now I’m rooting for Taeyong as well.’

If Jaehyun would have had less self-control then he’d definitely had tears in his eyes. But his self-control is impeccable and alpha only hugs his friend real tight, conveying all of his feelings through it. He doesn’t say ‘thank you’ or ‘I appreciate you so much’, but it’s not needed; Yukhei knows all of it very well.

‘Go and sleep for all seven hours, please,’ Jaehyun says, patting his friend on the back.

‘I’ll dream of Sicheng!’ Yukhei says dreamily, waving and going away.

Jaehyun closes door behind him and reaches out for his phone in the pocket. He wants to call Taeyong, but alpha doesn’t want to put all of the worries on his fragile shoulders. He just wants to hear his voice, but omega is probably sleeping right now. Jaehyun settles for simple ‘goodnight’ text but once he sees that Taeyong read it his phone buzzes with a call.

‘Why aren’t you sleeping?’ Taeyong questions immediately, voice quiet.

‘Why aren’t you?’ Jaehyun asks in the same fashion and leans on the wall, smiling. ‘Tomorrow is a big day, you’ll meet our clients. You have to get your beauty sleep.’

‘You too,’ Taeyong says and Jaehyun can feel him smiling. ‘Get your beauty sleep, I mean.’

‘Very funny,’ alpha chuckles and can’t help but let affection pour into his voice. He starts tracing his code panel with index finger, wishing he could touch Taeyong instead. When did this boy manage to get a such a hold of him?

‘What are you thinking about?’ Taeyong whispers gently after they’ve been silent for some minutes.

‘You,’ alpha answers honestly without thinking. There’s a hitch in omega’s breathing and Jaehyun smiles.

‘How many omegas fell for your sweet talk?’ Taeyong asks in teasing manner.

‘None. You’re not my client, I don’t have to sweet talk to you,’ Jaehyun answers, going to his bedroom.

‘I’m not a client, yes. Then what am I?’

Jaehyun stops, gripping doorknob in his hand. He sighs and wishes he could lie. ’It’s not that easy, Taeyong.’

‘Is it?’ Omega questions, but sounds upset and almost agitated. ‘Is it really such a hard question?’

‘Taeyong,’ Jaehyun calls warningly. ‘Think logically, there are too many things that needed to be taken into consideration-’

‘You called me that in the car,’ he interrupts him urgently. ‘You said it two times. But now you suddenly can’t?’

Jaehyun pushes door open and walks to his bed, sitting up on it. Understanding what Taeyong means dawns on him and he smiles to himself. _My gentle boy_ , he thinks. _My sweet, sweet boy_.

‘Taeyong,’ he says and pauses, making sure that he’s been heard. ‘You’re my omega. My mate.’

He hears sound of sniffling and tenses, but Taeyong eases his worries, when he replies with a: ‘See? It wasn’t that hard to say, was it?’

‘Is this what you wanted to hear?’ Jaehyun asks, relaxing on bed. He caresses his silk pillowcase and smiles. ‘I thought you wanted a clearer answer.’ _I thought you wanted me to call you my boyfriend._

‘What’s clearer than this?’ Omega asks, surprised.

‘We will need to talk about us,’ Jaehyun says, turning serious. ‘About company policies, about everything.’ Jaehyun can practically feel how his words made omega nervous so he hastily adds: ‘But despite any of this- Taeyong, nothing will change what we have now. Nothing will change the fact that you’re my omega. That we are destined mates. We will just talk how to get around everything, okay?’

His reassurance seems to work, because he hears omega sigh in relief. ‘Okay.’

‘Okay,’ Jaehyun repeats, heart beating loudly. ‘Go to sleep. Goodnight, Taeyong.’

‘Goodnight, alpha,’ he whispers in return and finishes the call.

Flowers bloom in Jaehyun’s chest; when was the last time someone called him like that? It feels good: like he’s a part of something bigger, like it’s important. Alpha rolls over and puts his phone away. Seulgi asked him to not hold back if he’ll feel something for Taeyong. Yukhei said he’ll be there to help and support. Jaehyun falls asleep with a clear understanding that he’s not alone and that ahead only lies a series of hard decisions to make. But maybe it’s not that bad if he has someone who thinks of him as of ‘his alpha’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> taeyong needing reassurance is a big MOOD 24/7 tbh 
> 
> anyways!! 300+ kudos!🥰🥰 thank you for being so kind! 
> 
> also it's impossible not to notice how lucas/winwin couple is not getting as much love from you as another couple, but i do hope you'll love these babies too🥺 and..friendship is hella important ok, im sorry if i bore someone with shining more light on what kind of friends taeyong/sicheng and lucas/jaehyun are :(
> 
> so,,, how was smut?😛 i have a feeling y'all hate me for not writing actual sex lmao but i promise it'll be there!! and sigh, corporate structure and policies are :// 
> 
> as always tell me your thoughts in comments and thank you thank you thank youuu for always leaving kudos and comments! you literally make my day💜


	11. hard talks (is that really it?)

**Two weeks later**

Sicheng clears his throat and almost jumps out of his skin when elevator doors suddenly open up. He nods to exiting people, who don’t even pay attention to him and quickly gets in, pressing button ’10’ with a sigh. Cabin is made out of glass and beta nervously checks his reflection, cursing silently at the way his shirt managed to crease on his way here. Yukhei told him million times not to worry, but how can he not if this is his first ever meeting with a client?! Sicheng takes a deep breath and hopes his choice of clothing is appropriate for this setting: dark slim pants and light blue shirt made him feel slightly more presentable than usual. He grips his sketchbook tighter and when elevator stops with a ‘ding’ he walks out. Loud sigh of relief almost leaves his mouth when first thing he sees is a familiar figure of alpha, leaning on the wall not so far from him. Sicheng opens his mouth but nothing comes out, because it’s like Yukhei felt him: alpha instantly turns, eyes focusing on him. His wide smile immediately puts beta at ease and he tries to smile back, doing an awkward wave thing, not knowing how to behave around Yukhei in such a professional setting.

‘Sicheng!’ Yukhei calls loudly, turning few heads and quickly comes over to him, looking excited and… handsome.

It’s been two weeks full of constant meetings with each other and Sicheng still can’t get used to how attractive Yukhei is; his heart still threatens to jump out of his chest when he sees alpha coming to him in purposeful strides, oozing confidence and ease. Yukhei’s also in dark slim pants, but his shirt is striped and first three buttons are undone, showing off prominent collarbones and gold necklace. His plump lips are pulled in a wide smile, eyes sparkle with excitement and Sicheng can’t help but also smile widely, not forced this time. Yukhei’s arms rise up and it looks like he wants to hug, but beta sees other people in the corridor and takes a little step back; Yukhei frowns but understands, arms falling on his sides.

‘Hey,’ he says, much quieter than he called out his name, understanding that Sicheng doesn’t want any additional attention. Alpha’s ability to pick up on his mood and little actions warms beta’s heart. ‘How are you? You ready?’

‘Hi,’ Sicheng chews on his bottom lip and tries not to fidget much. ‘I…I don’t know. But I’ll try my best, I promise.’

Yukhei’s gaze softens and he steps closer, directly in front of Sicheng. His height and wide shoulders make beta invisible to others and Yukhei takes his hand and gives it a light squeeze, not breaking eye contact. ‘You’ll do fine,’ he says firmly. ‘And I’ll be there, so you don’t have to worry, alright? Just be yourself.’

Absence of alpha’s scent due to scent blockers makes beta frown, but he doesn’t dare to voice his thoughts. It’s easy to say ‘be yourself’ for someone who is comfortable with himself; but how can you ‘be yourself’ when you don’t really know yourself? Sicheng swallows and he sees how Yukhei’s gaze changes from fond to a worried; he grips Sicheng’s hand tighter. Beta squeezes back in response and tilts his head to the side, signaling that it’s time for them to go.

‘Mr. Wong! Everyone’s ready!’ Short girl calls and waves at Sicheng. ‘Are you coming?’

‘One moment,’ Yukhei answers before Sicheng can even speak up. Girl disappears and only then alpha turns to a younger boy, looking serious. ‘Sicheng, if you don’t want to go we can-’

‘No,’ Sicheng interrupts. He’s not selfish, he won’t let his hesitance ruin something for what Yukhei worked his ass off. ‘I’m fine. Let’s go.’ _I won’t let you down_.

‘Only if you’re sure,’ Yukhei repeats firmly, standing on his ground.

Sicheng can’t help but smile at this. The way Yukhei always puts his comfort above anything else makes him warm all over; no one ever cared that much. In these two weeks alpha showed again and again that Sicheng’s feelings matter to him a lot and boy wants to show the same. Instead of answering Sicheng looks around and then quickly pecks alpha’s right cheek. Yukhei’s eyes widen at this little action and then his face transforms into a definition of happiness that makes Sicheng blush. They never did anything apart from occasional hugs and hand holding, so Sicheng broke their line of being just friends first.

‘Cutie,’ Yukhei whispers and Sicheng looks down, not wanting alpha to notice his blush.

‘Let’s go,’ beta says and tries to act as confidently as he only can, when he enters the room.

It’s full of strangers and his confidence falters for a second, but then he feels Yukhei’s presence behind him and masters a brave face. Yukhei introduces him as a mastermind behind future building and Sicheng blushes purposefully as other people excitedly clap. He glances at Yukhei and almost melts at a proud look he gets in return. Realization strikes him like a lightning bolt - _alpha is showing him off._ Sicheng blinks rapidly, trying to swallow sudden lump that appeared in his throat. _No one ever did that._ His parents never proudly talked about him and not like Sicheng gave him any reasons for that: he wasn’t a top student in school, didn’t participate in any other activities, didn’t do sports. In university his professor sometimes called him out in front of the whole class and said that his work turned out to be exceptionally good, but it was more like a statement of fact, there was no pride in it. But now with the way Yukhei looks at him like he really did something great, with the way he is so obviously and _unashamedly_ proud of Sicheng, beta feels alarmingly close to breaking down crying. He bows few times and claims free chair, not looking up. Everyone introduces themselves, easy conversation starts flowing, but he doesn’t hear any of it; his heart booms loudly in his ears, all he sees in front of his eyes is Yukhei’s proud smile. It takes him some time to calm down and thankfully no one pays him any attention as Yukhei took the standing and started to explain his proposition. Alpha looks totally in his element like fish thrown into the water; it’s obvious in the way he stands, gesticulates, talks, in _everything_. Yukhei is no newbie in this and Sicheng can’t look away, afraid to miss one second out of this presentation. Alpha talks a tad bit too fast, but his excitement and friendliness cover it up; his gestures are big and wide, voice loud and booming, filling the room. There’s a certain kind of magnetism in Yukhei, the one that draws you in without you even realizing, the one that makes it impossible to look somewhere else. Yukhei _demands_ attention on him, his overall presence too bright and big to ignore. He inserts jokes in between slides, his gaze never stays for long on any person, he’s highly attentive to any responses from clients and always answers with the most charming smile. He is very serious, but breaks into smile easily, his open nature overtaking and turns professional setting into more or less a meeting between acquittances. Everyone is watching him in awe and beta can honestly relate. Yukhei is undeniably good and it is so sexy. With shock Sicheng realizes that he starts having not so platonic and pure thoughts about alpha - this is also new for him. Even when he had crush on Ten, adjectives like ‘sexy’ never came into his mind and he didn’t feel sexual attraction to Thai alpha; he mostly looked up at him for being so nonchalant, open and brave. But looking at Yukhei now Sicheng feels this strange and unknown to him yet pit of desire growing, wanting, _longing_. It shocks him, scares him. Sicheng has to look away, cheeks turning bright red, afraid that alpha may have caught his gaze on him. _How shameful_.

‘And as for a sketch itself, I’ll let Sicheng do the talking, he’ll explain and answer any of your questions,’ Yukhei says and stands closer to beta, smiling. ‘Sicheng is a last year university student and he is very talented as you’ll see yourselves. Sicheng, can you please show us the sketch?’

 _Get a grip._ Sicheng nods and with shaking hands opens his sketchbook. He is too nervous to look up and make eye contact with anyone, so instead beta settles for looking down. With a bit trembling voice he starts explaining idea behind the building, how he wanted to connect his vision of a perfect modern house with nature, when he feels alpha’s hand on his shoulder. Yukhei continues to stand behind him, his hand on a shoulder and his presence bringing much needed calm and serenity to Sicheng. With a deep breath beta continues, this time with a steady voice, pointing out what walls and roof are made of. He gets a bit carried away, finally letting out all of his thoughts about house out. He hears murmuring and when he looks up he sees two clients looking at the sketch with thoughtful glances, conversing between each other. Sicheng tried to finish the sketch to the maximum, even consulted with his professor, so he did hope that what he presents is up to their standards.

‘Is there a plan of the house?’ One of the clients asks, looking at Sicheng. ‘Or do we get to see only outside view?’

‘Plan is here,’ Sicheng turns page and points at a detailed plan of the house. ‘I also have it all on my laptop in 3D, if you’re interested.’

Yukhei’s grip on his shoulder tightens for a second. The truth is, no one asked him to prepare plan or 3D version of the insides. After his talk with professor Sicheng looked up all he could in internet and then asked some guys from his faculty to help with 3D thing. He paid for it, of course and then created plan himself, thinking that it’s also probably needed. Looking at satisfied faces of the clients Sicheng silently thanks himself for thinking that far ahead.

‘We’d very much like to receive a 3D version. Can we also have a copy of this sketch and a plan?’

‘Of course,’ Yukhei answers and pats Sicheng’s shoulder. ‘Do you have any other questions?’

‘We’ll have our specialists look at it, so no questions for now.’

Sicheng quietly thanks gods for that, because while he can talk for hours about inspiration behind his sketch, when it comes to very practical question he’ll need a help of professor to answer them correctly. Yukhei wraps up their meeting nicely, smiling and shaking hands with everyone. Sicheng bows to clients and then to three guys from Yukhei’s team, who bow back with enthusiastic grins.

‘That was a really clean finish, boss!’ One of the guy high-fives Yukhei, looking exceptionally proud to be in his team. ‘You think they’ll call back?’

‘I give them a day,’ alpha answers and claps two times, making everyone look at him. ‘All of you worked really hard for this meeting to go the way it did. Thank you! Well done, everyone. Renjun, can you finish minutes of the meeting and send them to everyone? I need for a talk with Donghae. You all are free to go for a lunch break.’

Guy with bright brown hair nods and shows thumbs up. Others bow and quickly scatter, waving to Sicheng, who also waves back, albeit a bit late. Once door after the last guy closes beta turns and lets out an ‘oof’, when Yukhei envelops him in a sudden tight hug. ‘Thank you so much,’ alpha whispers, smiling when Sicheng hesitantly hugs back.

‘You honestly saved me. I got into such a detail about PR work for their future campaign that I completely forgot about design details. How did you think of 3D version?’

Sicheng leans back, but Yukhei’s arms are still around him. He’s getting shy from such a close proximity, but older male is not planning on letting him go any time soon, he even put his fingers in a lock behind his back. ‘I consulted with my professor and then looked it up on the internet,’ beta admits, smiling a little. ‘I paid one of the guys from faculty to make it in this program for 3D version.’

Yukhei looks at him with a mix of awe and curiosity. ‘You did that… for me?’

Sicheng nods bashfully, looking down. He doesn’t dare to look up, but two fingers hook his chin, make him raise his head. Yukhei’s face is so close that Sicheng can count his eyelashes. Beta gets lost in these eyes that are filled with affection; they pull him in and he surrenders without putting up a fight.

‘Sicheng,’ Yukhei breathes out quietly. Instead of hugging beta, he is now holding his face firmly but gently between his hands. He says in Chinese: ’I’m going to kiss you now. Alright?’

Younger boy blinks. His throat dries up and he can’t form a sound, so he nods a little, not looking away from alpha. Yukhei gifts him a kind smile before slowly leaning in. When their lips meet Sicheng squeezes alpha’s sides out of surprise and shock; this is first for them. Kiss is gentle and slow, Yukhei first pulls his upper lip and then lower lip between his teeth, kisses them languidly, making beta’s toes curl. Sicheng closes his eyes and sighs, opening his mouth a little, completely getting lost in the feel of alpha. Every fiber of his being leans towards Yukhei, wants to get closer. It’s something he never experienced before, gentleness of the action overwhelms him. Yukhei leans back a little and admires what’s in front of him, that beautiful face with the most gorgeous lips he ever had an honor to taste. He pecks them few times and then goes for another full kiss, this time teasing other boy with his tongue.

‘You’re so pretty,’ Yukhei mutters into Sicheng’s lips before sucking on a lower one. ‘ _God, Sicheng_.’

Alpha cradles his head gently in his hands and starts peppering little kisses all over beta’s face, murmuring softly ‘ _so pretty’_ over and over again. Sicheng’s face burns with embarrassment and affection and his hands fly to alpha’s arms, closing around his wrists, wanting to stop him.

‘I wanted to kiss you for so long,’ Yukhei whispers, leaving last kiss on his nose. ‘You have no idea. But I wasn’t sure and held myself back. I wanted you to be the first to initiate anything other than just casual hugs.’

‘Why?’ Sicheng asks breathlessly, opening his eyes.

Yukhei looks at him fondly, stroking his cheeks with thumbs. ‘Because I wanted you to be comfortable. Because if you initiate it means you’re comfortable. And that’s the most important thing.’

How does every word he says makes Sicheng fall for him even more? Beta tries to form his thoughts into sentences, to say something equally as heart-warming but Yukhei leans in again and captures his lips in a sweet kiss that shatters all of boy’s efforts. Alpha tries to let go, but he doesn’t really want to, so they end up staying in the same position and kissing for three more minutes. Yukhei stares at Sicheng and then back at his rosy lips and tries to find motivation to let this boy go. He should do that, he knows. But he doesn’t want to, not when he finally learned what it feels like to kiss him.

‘I need to go,’ Sicheng mumbles against his lips and laughs when alpha pouts. ‘I have classes, you know.’

‘I’ll drive you,’ Yukhei immediately says and doesn’t even listen to protests from the boy. ‘C’mon, let’s go then, I don’t want you to be late.’

They both grab their things and walk towards the elevator, shoulders brushing against one another. Sicheng is filled with a giddy kind of excitement, replaying their kiss again and again in his head. Once they’re inside elevator cabin without anyone else Yukhei steps closer and leaves small kiss on his head. They stay like that in silence, enjoying each other’s warm presence.

‘Do you want to…’ Alpha starts, but then doors slide open on the first floor and he sees Taeyong standing not so far from them, right next to the information table. ‘Well, your cheerleader is here.’

Sicheng looks up and smiles, calling his friend. Taeyong turns and instantly lights up like a Christmas tree, seeing beta. Yukhei watches two roommates embracing each other with a fond smile on his lips; when he and Jaehyun learned that these two are not only friends, but also roommates, Jung looked like soul left his body, while Seulgi gleefully clapped like a seal, screaming that it is fate. _And maybe it is_.

‘So? How did it go? Tell me!’ Taeyong practically vibrates, barely keeping himself from jumping up and down excitedly. He then notices Yukhei and nods, bowing a little. ‘Hello, Mr.Wong.’

‘I asked you to call me Lucas thousand times,’ Yukhei shakes his head and then taps Sicheng’s shoulder to gain his attention. ‘I’ll wait for you in the car, okay? Don’t stay too long.’

Sicheng nods and watches Yukhei’s leaving figure for few seconds before turning back to his friend. Taeyong has this shit-eating grin on his face and he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, sticking his tongue out.

‘Admiring Lucas?’ He asks and Sicheng rolls his eyes, slapping omega’s hand. ‘So how did it go? Did they like proposal? Jaehyun told me that Lucas worked on it super hard.’

‘I think it went good,’ Sicheng shrugs, not really sure. ‘Everyone seemed to like it? I honestly am more sure, I just hope my sketch was fine.’

Taeyong pinches his cheek, smiling. ‘Of course it was fine, I’m sure of it. Now go, you’ll tell me more at home, okay? We don’t want to keep your personal chauffeur waiting.’

Omega winks and Sicheng can’t even say anything before his friend skips back to elevator, in hurry to go back to his department. Beta sighs, but smiles as Taeyong turns and enthusiastically waves at him before elevator doors close. He walks quickly out of the building and blushes, when he sees alpha leaning on the car with passenger seat door open. Sicheng glances towards two security guards, who look at him with interest and bites his lower lip.

‘Stop standing!’ He hisses to alpha, who waits for him to get in, closes door after him and only then climbs to a driver seat. ‘These two security guards saw that!’

‘And so what?’ Yukhei shrugs, not seeing any problem. ‘Even if everyone if the whole building saw I don’t really care. Unless it makes you uncomfortable, that is.’

‘Won’t you have problems?’ Sicheng asks nervously. ‘Or this is okay?’

‘You’re not my client, nor you’re my subordinate, so no problems here for me,’ Yukhei assures him and smiles at the way beta obviously looks relieved. ‘I’m very flattered that you care this much about me.’

Sicheng doesn’t reply, looking down at his hands instead. He’s never been the one to voice how he cares; he always thought that it’s better to show with actions, not with words. Especially when he’s not very comfortable with making his position clear with words. A light caress on his hand startles beta and when he looks down he sees alpha’s big hand, enveloping his two.

‘You did great today, so I hope you’re not beating yourself up right now,’ Yukhei says seriously. ‘And you saved me, you really did. I’m very thankful, Sicheng. I think-' he’s interrupted by buzzing of beta’s phone. ‘Who is calling? Tell them you’re with your boyfriend and will call them back soon.’

‘It’s Hen- _what_?’ Sicheng doesn’t pick up and lets his phone ring, looking at alpha with wide eyes. ‘What did you say?’

Yukhei bites his lower lip and glances at younger boy, trying to gauge his reaction. Was he too forward? ‘I said that you’re in the midst of important talk with your boyfriend. If it’s not urgent then can you call whoever is calling back instead of answering?’

Sicheng cancels the call from Hendery and turns fully to Yukhei. His palms are sweaty and he blinks at alpha, not daring to speak up. His heart gallops in his chest, making beta think that he’s not that far from going into a full heart attack. Sicheng knows that he’s different for Yukhei. Starting from the obvious part where he tells him to call him Yukhei and not Lucas and ending with the fact that in these two weeks alpha showed time after time that Sicheng’s opinions, tastes, comfort, _everything_ \- is important to him. But beta didn’t dare to dream about this.

‘Why do you look so shocked?’ Yukhei asks, nervously gripping steering wheel tighter. ‘Or do you kiss your every friend on the lips just like I kissed you?’

‘No!’ Sicheng lets out and burns in shame, remembering what he did with Xiaojun and Hendery.

‘I also don’t,’ alpha turns his head to him, trying to maintain eye contact and look at the road at the same time. ‘I kiss only those with who I am in relationship. If you don’t like it then we don’t have to call each other ‘boyfriends’ or anything. If you think that these titles are not important then-’

‘No, they are important!’ Sicheng interrupts, voice turning into an almost squeal. ‘I just was surprised, that’s all. I’m not.. against these…titles, as you said.’

Yukhei looks at the boy on his passenger seat with unmistakable heart eyes. ‘Boyfriends, then?’

 _Boyfriends._ Sicheng doesn’t trust his voice not to break, so he nods, blushing. ‘Boyfriends.’

+=+

‘I tried but-’

‘I’m not interested in your excuses,’ Jaehyun cuts Jungwoo off, not even rising his head. ‘Your model is not ready. Just like yours, Haechan. Wendy and Taeyong did only half, which is also unacceptable. Only Yeri managed to do exactly what I told her and finished her system model.’

Taeyong shifts on his seat, crossing his legs. Being told off always made him extremely uncomfortable, but when it happens in the group settings it only adds to the discomfort. Lee looks at Jungwoo, whose face is as grim as skies today, lips pursed into a thin line. Logically he understands that Jaehyun is right - they failed to meet his deadlines, although all of them worked really hard. But can’t alpha be not that harsh? Lee shifts his gaze to Yeri, the only person who somehow finished her task and as he sees her smiling face, annoyance crawls in the back of his head. She’s staring at Jaehyun with unhidden awe and adoration and it sets Taeyong on edge. Omega wants to scream ‘he’s _my_ alpha’, but bites his tongue instead and says nothing. Wendy next to him lets out a barely audible sigh, head hang low in shame. Taeyong discreetly reaches out and pats her knee, making girl smile at him.

‘I give everyone time till tomorrow morning to finish your tasks. We’re falling behind our schedule,’ Jaehyun tiredly rubs his eyes and then looks up. ‘Stop slacking off. At nine I expect to see finished tasks in our onedrive.’

‘With all respect, Mr.Jung,’ Wendy starts, clearing her throat. ‘We are not slacking off. There are so many things we need to work on, but because deadlines changed we are trying hard to-’

‘Not hard enough, obviously. Yeri has the same workload as all of you, but she finished her task. Why couldn’t you?’ Jaehyun asks and Wendy looks down under his piercing gaze. ‘I’m not interested in excuses, as I said. Just finish tasks and update your slides in our presentation. I’ll schedule next meeting in two weeks, but all of you can expect feedback on tasks by the end of this week. That’s it for today, thank you everyone.’

Wendy stands up first, hands balled in fists and looking like she’s about to throw her chair in the window. Jungwoo and Haechan stand up together, ashamed and guilty. They bow to Jaehyun and slowly walk out, heads hang low. Yeri stands up at the same time as Taeyong does; she turns to Jaehyun and smiles, wishing him good day at which Jaehyun smiles back and nods. Something ugly seethes in Taeyong’s chest, something that he shouldn’t feel for this girl and omega simply bows and turns, gathering his things. He’s about to follow Yeri out, when Jaehyun calls him out and asks him to stay.

‘Mr.Jung?’ He asks, rising his eyebrow.

‘Close the door,’ his manager orders.

Taeyong swallows and closes the door, turning to alpha. ‘Yes, Mr.Jung?’

‘Taeyong,’ Jaehyun calls in a completely different voice from the one he spoke before; there’s affection and fondness in it instead of anger. ‘Come here.’

Lee automatically complies, heart beating loudly in his chest. He stops in front of his manager and looks up, blinking. They did discuss that at work they won’t cross this line between colleagues and this is the first time in two weeks that Jaehyun asked Taeyong to stay. Jung steps closer, cutting distance between them and pulls Taeyong on his chest, wrapping one arm around his waist.

‘Mr.Jung-’

‘ _Jaehyun,_ ’ alpha corrects, nuzzling into Taeyong’s hair. ‘I’m Jaehyun now. Not your manager, not Mr.Jung. Right now I’m Jaehyun, your alpha.’

Taeyong instantly relaxes and melts into alpha’s hold, burying his nose in the juncture between shoulder and neck. ‘Alpha,’ he calls quietly, taking a deep breath of the most wonderful scent in the world for him. ‘Missed you.’

‘Missed you too,’ Jaehyun admits, holding him close. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t come to you this week.’

Lee doesn’t reply, only hugs Jaehyun tighter. They haven’t see each other this week due to ton of workload that fell onto them once client changed deadlines. Taeyong understood how busy alpha may be, considering how he himself was drowning in the amount of work that has to be done, so he wasn’t offended at the lack of attention. Relishing this little time of affection that they have now, Taeyong sighs in satisfaction. He got too nervous in the first week, not knowing how to behave around Jaehyun at work, but then he got a hold of it that even his teammates started saying that now he looks more comfortable with their manager than before. _If only they knew_.

‘I promise I’ll try to make time for us on these weekends, okay?’ Jaehyun leans back to have a full view of omega’s face. ‘I’ll take you out.’

‘Really?’ Taeyong doesn’t bother hiding excitement in his voice and Jaehyun softly chuckles at that. ‘Where to?’

‘Wherever you want me to,’ he says and leans closer. ‘Anything for my baby.’

Taeyong whines and before Jaehyun can laugh at that, he plasters himself on alpha and kisses him hard. He thought about these lips for a whole week and now Taeyong felt like a wanderer, who finally reached his destination. Jaehyun was surprised at first, but quickly kissed him back, gripping boy’s hips tight in his hands, not letting him move. Kiss was hungry, rough; both wanted to get as much as they only could, because no one knew when they’ll be able to do this again.

‘My omega,’ Jaehyun breathes out, making Taeyong shiver with desire and anticipation. ‘My sweet, so sweet-’

‘Alpha,’ Taeyong gasps, when Jaehyun’s hand grip his buttocks. ‘Wait!’

He leans back and Jaehyun instantly stops, looking at him with worry. Taeyong tries to calm down his breathing and thanks gods for the fact that Jaehyun’s office is soundproof and walls are not made of glass. Dr.Kim told him many times that while new suppressants that he takes do mask his scent, if he gets too excited or gets carried away, then his scent will sip through, so Taeyong needs to be very attentive to display of emotions at work in order not to let his scent out.

‘I think,’ he starts and takes a whiff of the air. ‘Yeah, I need to calm down or my suppressants won’t work.’

Jaehyun first nods but then cheshire cat grin appears on his face. ‘Did I get you that worked up with a little kiss?’

‘Shut up,’ Taeyong mutters, but there’s not bite to it. ‘Don’t look so smug. You’re the one who asked me to stay!’

‘And you’re the one who kissed me,’ alpha counters and then laughs when Taeyong smacks him in the chest. ‘Okay-okay, sorry. I’m glad that you did or else I would probably had pinned you to the wall somewhere in the toilet to do that. I can’t even remember when I kissed you last time. Last week? Too long ago.’

Taeyong laughs and steps further away from alpha. He knows about company policies regarding dating and he doesn’t want any necessary rumors to start. Spending time in your manager’s office is not a crime, but Taeyong thinks it’s better to be on a careful side. Their hands are still linked and Taeyong hastily breaks the hold, when knock on the door resonates in the room. Yeri’s head pops in and she pauses, gaze going from one man to another.

‘I’m sorry for interrupting, I forgot my notebook here,’ Yeri quickly takes her light pink notebook and stops, looking back and forth between Jaehyun and Taeyong. ‘Um..’

‘I’ll go then, Mr.Jung,’ Taeyong says, faltering a little. ‘Thank you for your feedback. I’ll finish my matrix tomorrow for sure.’

Jaehyun blinks but then nods, face turning serious and voice avid of emotion as he says: ‘Alright. Yeri, you wanted to say something?’

Yeri turns red and shakes her head. Her gaze stays on Taeyong for a second too long and then she turns to Jaehyun, bowing and quickly going out of his office. There’s a beat of silence where destined mates stare at each other with raised eyebrows, but then Jaehyun takes Taeyong’s hand in his and squeezes.

‘I’ll call today,’ he promises and Taeyong nods, bowing and also leaving his office.

Once omega closes door behind him, he immediately searches for Yeri with his eyes. She thought something, he’s sure. Yeri can’t lie, everything’s written on her face and he saw _something_ that made his stomach curl inside.

‘Haechan, have you seen Yeri?’ Taeyong asks his colleague.

‘She and Jungwoo went to the kitchen to bring us all coffee. Are you coming?’ Haechan holds door to the meeting room open. ‘It’s not mandatory, by the way. We do these work sessions because they help us concentrate, but if you prefer to work quietly on your own, then no pressure whatsoever.’

Taeyong chooses second option and goes back to his desk, chewing his bottom lip. Nerves build up in him and it’s never good to start working with numbers in this state, so he decides to take a breather, going to the balcony. He mulls over what happened in last two weeks, staring at a beautiful view of the city. Jaehyun took him out for the dinner two weeks ago and explain policies about dating. Alpha made it clear that dating won’t be looked favorably just in general, but as Taeyong is his direct subordinate then their situation calls for power abuse conversations and that’s just not okay. Omega fully agreed not to disclose anything about them being together, preferring to keep it a secret. Taeyong never really cared for certain specifications, so he didn’t ask alpha what exactly are they; he doesn’t care very much if they call each other boyfriends or lovers. To him everything is extremely simple: they are destined mates, who try not to run from fate, but face it instead. He is Jaehyun’s omega and Jung is his alpha - that’s it. Lee just made it clear that unless they are exclusive, he doesn’t want to be a part of whatever they are together. Jaehyun’s face at that time still makes him laugh: alpha looked so shocked and scandalized at the thought that they may not be exclusive to each other that he couldn’t find words for few minutes. With warm Taeyong remembers how Jaehyun gripped his hand, stared in his eyes and said strictly: ‘ _Cheating is the lowest, absolute worst thing that anyone can do. We may not end up together and this whole thing about destined mates may not work out, but I’ll never cheat. That’s for damn sure._ ’ At that time Taeyong promised the same with a bright smile on his lips, thinking that he’s incredibly lucky. But just like all of the good things in life, finding your destined mate comes with certain difficulties. And Taeyong was too naive to think that company policies against dating were his biggest obstacle.

Omega’s phone buzzes with an incoming call from Jaehyun around ten p.m, when Taeyong just walked out of the shower. He hears Xiaojun and Hendery arguing over who’s going to stay over before Sicheng promptly asks both of them to leave so he can sleep at peace before tomorrow’s early class. Taeyong smiles at this and accepts the call, walking to the corridor.

‘Wait a bit,’ Taeyong says to alpha and then turns to Hendery and Xiao. ‘Already leaving?’

‘Just so you know, we’re stealing Winwin tomorrow, so he’s gonna stay at our place,’ Xiaojun announces proudly, giggling when Sicheng sighs loudly at this.

‘For few days,’ Hendery inserts and ignores Sicheng’s shocked face. ‘We miss him and he’s been spending all of his free time with that mysterious new friend of his, so we’re claiming him back to where he belongs.’

‘I’m not even going to try and argue,’ Taeyong says and pats Sicheng’s shoulder. ‘You’re on your own here, my friend. I’m going back to my room, bye guys!’ He closes door to his room and with a sigh lies on his bed. ‘Hi.’

‘That was an intense argument back there,’ Jaehyun says, also lying on his bed with his laptop open. ‘And you didn’t even fight for your friend.’

‘Two of them and only one me, I think we both know who’s going to win,’ Taeyong mumbles and stretches. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Working,’ alpha answers shortly. ‘I wanted to talk, Taeyong. About something important.’

Taeyong hums in acknowledgment and Jaehyun sighs. He’s been putting away this talk for two weeks, all because he didn’t know how to start. The way their conversation about dating policies have flown made alpha feel better, because Taeyong was all on board with his proposition. But what he’s about to say next won’t be seen as a good idea.

‘Taeyong,’ Jaehyun starts and pauses, gathering his courage. ‘How long are you planning to keep your sub-gender as a secret?’

A beat of silence follows. Jaehyun closes his laptop and tries not to start panicking about the fact that Taeyong is not replying. He knows this boy for full month and maybe for someone it’s not much but for Jaehyun it’s a rather long period of time opening up to someone else, simply because he doesn’t do stuff like that. He cares about Taeyong a lot and he learned enough about Lee to know that this silence is not a good sign.

‘Why are you asking me this?’ Taeyong finally questions, voice tight. ‘Is there a certain reason for it?’

‘I just wanted to learn about your plan,’ Jaehyun says, trying to sound as placating as possible. He’s not here to fight, after all. ‘Because you obviously had a plan, right? When you were submitting your application you probably thought through how everything will go if you’re admitted.’

‘I never thought I’d be admitted,’ Lee confesses. ‘And when it happened I didn’t think of some plan. I’m going to keep it a secret for as long as possible, obviously.’

Lack of plan shocks Jaehyun, but he doesn’t voice it out loud in fear of offending omega. Instead he asks series of questions: ‘And what about your heats? Are you always going to pretend that you’re sick or ask for ordinary leave every single time? You have heats once in two-three months, don’t you think it will look suspicious? HR tracks every sick or ordinary leave, they’ll be able to see the pattern in your actions and will recognize a reason behind them.’

Jaehyun didn’t mean to sound so… cold. Nor did he mean to somehow make Taeyong feel stupid. It’s just when he gets serious about something his tone immediately changes and turns professional, making him sound like he’s indifferent which is not true. But to Taeyong it did sound like alpha was attacking him in some way, so of course omega took a stance of defense:

‘If this is your weird way of showing that you care then you’re doing it an awful job at it,’ Taeyong says, barely controlling his anger. ‘I’m not a little boy and just because I didn’t have a plan doesn’t mean-’

‘Do you have answers for the questions I asked?’ Jaehyun interrupts, getting impatient. ‘You don’t, do you?’

The second these words are out of his mouth Jaehyun knows he made a mistake. He has a tendency to push, to stay on his point of view and make everyone agree with him; it’s a simple habit and model of behavior that developed at the job, because if you don’t push, if you don’t stand on your ground - you will fall. Because there can’t be two alphas at the top. Jung’s usual circle consisted of very strong-headed alphas, who were harsh, blunt and had zero tolerance to weakness. He sometimes gets lost in this side of him, side that wants to win in the argument, establish his dominance with little regard to the feelings of another person. It never happens to him with Yukhei or Seulgi - Yukhei is generally against conflicts and Seulgi usually turns everything into a joke - so he forgot to hold himself back with Taeyong.

‘What the hell, what is your problem?!’ Taeyong’s voice rises and then Jaehyun hears sound of running water, meaning omega locked himself in the bathroom and turned on shower so his roommate won’t hear him. ‘I will get to it when times comes, I will handle everything on my own!’

‘Taeyong-’

‘Or wait,’ water suddenly stops and omega holds phone closer to his face. ‘You didn’t ask this just because. There’s something else. What are you not telling me? Did someone learn that I am omega?’

‘No one did,’ Jaehyun quickly assures, wiping sweaty palms on his bedsheet. ‘But they will learn, Taeyong. That’s what I wanted to talk about. You can’t stay in this company for too long.’

Maybe there was a better way to say it. Maybe there were words that Jaehyun could have said to make it sound better. But Jung couldn’t find them and ended up being his usual straightforward self.

‘I…what?’ Jaehyun’s chest tightens at the way Taeyong sounds so small suddenly.

‘It’s dangerous, Taeyong. You need to understand, even the fact that me and Yukhei know about your sub-gender and keep it a secret is awful, it’s very risky for both of us-’

‘Are you worried that someone will fire you?’ Taeyong asks incredulously. ‘Are you seriously worried about yourself when-’

‘I’m not!’ Jaehyun shouts, interrupting another boy. He takes a deep breath and can picture how shell shocked Taeyong looks now, because he never shouted at him after that first initial meeting, when Jaehyun screamed at omega to get the fuck out. ‘I’m not worried about myself, but about _you_. Everyone will learn that you’re omega and other companies may not want to hire you, because you’re part of a scandal. And there will be scandal if your sub-gender reveals, we both know that.’

‘So what is your solution? If I can’t stay in this company for too long then what? Want to fire me right now?’ Taeyong asks with a shaking voice.

‘Taeyong,’ Jaehyun sighs, squeezing bridge of his nose between his fingers. ‘Let’s put all feelings and emotions aside and just look at it logically, okay?’

‘Sure, that’s what you do best - put feelings and emotions aside.’

Jaehyun lets this remark slide, even though it gnaws on his heart. ‘I think you can’t stay here for too long, it’ll get dangerous. Till the end of a project seems like a reasonable time to me, it means you have few months to find new job-’

‘So this is your solution,’ Taeyong interrupts and lets out a short laugh. Lee can’t believe that this is honestly happening to him right now. ’Is that it? Be honest for how long have you been thinking about this? Week? Two weeks?’

‘Two weeks,’ alpha replies, biting his lower lip. ‘And-’

‘And in two weeks time this is all with what you’ve managed to come up,’ Taeyong concludes and sniffles. ‘Two weeks and all you can say is that I should get out of this company. Hell, did you even _try_?’

Jaehyun opens his mouth and then shuts it. He hears a hitch of breath, sniffling and recognizes that Taeyong’s crying. It makes shame and guilt settle deeply in his heart and he tries to come up with right words to say, but omega beats him to it.

‘You said that I’m your omega,’ he says and now he sounds angry instead of sad.

‘You are,’ Jaehyun instantly assures, scared that Taeyong might think differently.

‘Then why aren’t you _trying_?! Jaehyun, you’re National Sales manager, you’re part of the board of directors! You said it yourself a lot of times that you don’t agree with laws about omegas, with company policies against hiring omegas here, then why don’t you do something? Why can’t you propose-’

‘Taeyong, it’s not that easy-’

‘That’s what you always say,’ Lee interrupts and chuckles darkly. ‘Yeah, it must be really hard, especially when you’re not even doing anything.’

Anger bubbles in alpha, but he tries to reign it in. _Don’t fight_ , he reminds himself. 'I’m not a general manager of this company. I don’t have enough power to just make everyone reconsider our current policies, it takes time-’

‘And _effort_. But you’re not making it.’

Both stay silent. Taeyong breathes heavily on the other side, shaking with repressed anger. His whole body trembles with words that he wants to say, to _scream_ \- but he stays silent. He already knows that Sicheng is waiting for him on another side of the door, because he strengthens his scent on purpose to calm Taeyong down; whole bathroom basically smells like his roommate now.

‘Taeyong,’ Jaehyun calls and he sounds tired and upset.

He sounds like he’s asking Taeyong for mercy. But omega won’t give in, not now. ‘I would have been okay with it if you told me that you tried to raise this topic on the meeting and it didn’t work. If you told me that you did this and that and failed. But you just settled for the easiest decision here. You didn’t try. You are not putting even an ounce of an effort.’ _You’re not fighting for me_.

Taeyong listens to Jaehyun’s breathing for two more seconds and then cancels the call, turning off his phone in case alpha will try to call. He hastily wipes away tears from his cheeks and washes his face. When he looks at his reflection he sees red-brimmed eyes and it makes him angry. Taeyong is not someone who cries because of alphas. Last time he cried because of Doyoung and he promised to never do it again. Lee sighs and unlocks the door, patting his face with a towel. In the next second Sicheng’s scent gets stronger and when he turns his roommate is standing close to the door, looking worried.

‘Did you hear everything?’ Taeyong asks and Sicheng uncomfortably nods. ‘Then I don’t have to explain.’ Omega comes closer and leans on his friend, sighing. ‘I’m so angry, Sichengie. And sad. But more angry.’

Sicheng just pats him on the back. He heard most of the talk and has a distinct understanding of what happened, but he’s not sure if he understood everything correctly. Beta guides his friend back to his room and moves to the side, giving more space to omega.

‘If you’re not sleepy we can sit in the kitchen,’ Sicheng says, looking at quiet Taeyong with worry.

‘I’m okay here,’ older boy answers with a small smile. ‘Lie down too.’ When Sicheng does that, Taeyong sighs and cuddles closer. ‘Can I rant?’

‘You don’t have to ask,’ Sicheng replies and wraps one arm around omega’s shoulders.

Taeyong smiles and unfolds his heart to his friend, happy that he has someone like that in his life. On the other side, closer to the center of the city, Jaehyun sits on his bed, caresses his bedsheet and thinks that if he were a better man, a better alpha, Taeyong would have been here with him now. And the prospect of not ever being able to have that young boy this close to him again turns his blood into ice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here comes the angst!! 
> 
> this chapter and next few chapters we will swim in sea of angst, just saying. also! for those who read this and thought that taeyong is being unreasonable - EFFORT IS SEXY! that's why taeyong's so pissed, because he sees 0 effort. 
> 
> i was wondering...would you be interested in a kinda bonus chapter about other boys? like about xiao and kun, hendery and ten? let me know yes or no in the comments, okay?
> 
> AND most importantly - thank you everyone for the comments on the previous chapter. I've received so many long and open comments my heart just bursted from happiness, you all are honestly too cute for this world🥺 thank you-thank youuuu,, for being so kind!!💜
> 
> the most IMPORTANT thing!!!! ---> guys, please, stay at home. i know in some countries heavy quarantine regime has been lifted, but all around the world we have more and more cases of virus hot-spots finding AGAIN, so please. honestly, i know we all are so tired of this whole situation and to be stuck at home is not good for mental health, but at least pls don't go to those cafes or malls, let's try to stay as safe as possible. anyone who is sad and tired - im sending you a lot of hugs and forehead kisses and SMOOCHES on both of your cheeks. stay healthy.


	12. sparks of hope

_Boyfriends._ Sicheng tried not to smile whenever he received a text message from Yukhei, but it was impossible; alpha was texting in his typical shameless and honest fashion, saying things that made beta blush and using a lot of emojis. Sicheng never really used them in the text, but he tried his best to add them in his messages for Yukhei, because otherwise his texts looked too serious and he didn’t want alpha to think that he wasn’t enjoying their conversation. Even right now, to a simple ‘ _i’m staying at Hendery and Xiao’s tonight_ ’ he adds a blushing emoji, which is so unlike him that beta has half of mind to just delete everything and not send a thing. If he adds emoji in his text message to anyone else he’s pretty sure response will be filled with ‘ _??? what happened that you decided to use an emoji?? where is sicheng and what did you do to him??_ ’. Funny how Yukhei changes Sicheng in the smallest ways that then turn into big ones.

‘Spill,’ Hendery says first thing, when Sicheng enters his room. ‘You’ve been smiling awful lot lately and I need to know the reason before I’m gonna burst.’

Xiaojun waves at him with a cute smile on his face and Sicheng waves back, proceeding to hug Hendery. He doesn’t say anything, just lays his backpack on the floor and falls on unmade bed next to omega, making him giggle. Xiaojun’s fingers immediately start running through his hair and Sicheng hums in appreciation, moving closer to the boy. He takes a deep breath and rises his head a little, so his words won’t be muffled by blanket:

‘I have a boyfriend,’ - and his head falls back on a soft blanket, waiting for Xiaojun’s fingers to start giving him massage again.

Only it doesn’t happen. Sicheng’s afraid to open his eyes, so he pretends that he’s falling asleep, unmoving. If beta was brave enough to look up, he’d see baffled looks on his friends’ faces. Xiaojun froze, looking at Hendery with a mix of shock and sadness. Hendery responded with the same look, feeling how his heart dropped somewhere down and emptiness took its place. Blinking, Xiaojun resumes his previous task and starts massaging Sicheng’s head. It’s hard to swallow when there’s lump in your throat, but omega tries again and _again_ , until this stubborn lump releases its hold on his throat.

‘Really? Who is it?’ Xiao asks, trying to add as much cheerfulness to his voice as he can.

He knows his feelings are unreasonable: he has Kun now and he has absolutely no rights for Sicheng, but his heart still aches. It’s weird; he and Hendery knew that this will probably happen one day, but when it did both of them were caught by surprise. Xiaojun honestly thought that if Sicheng would have a boyfriend it’s going to be either him or Hendery - and in his bravest dreams he thought that it can be both of them - but he never really considered the possibility that it will be someone from outside of their group of friends.

‘His name is Lucas,’ Sicheng answers and turns, back on the mattress this time, staring up at his omega friend. ‘He works in the same company as Taeyong.’

Sicheng doesn’t know what else should he say. Does he just tell everything he knows? But it seems too much; everything about Yukhei is too personal. He doesn’t share their talks, their gestures, everything what alpha makes him feel even with Taeyong, because Sicheng wants to save it for himself. It’s not exactly a secret, more like a treasured possession that is only for Sicheng to hold and see. He decides to give a very general information instead: age, sub-gender, his place in the company, how they met.

‘Isn’t he too old for you?’ Hendery asks, frowning. ‘Six years is a big difference.’

Xiaojun glares at beta, but he only shrugs. From where he’s sitting on a spare bed of his roommate, Hendery stares at them with thoughtful gaze. He did have his suspicions when Winwin started to spend less time with them, but when all of these suspicions ended up being true, beta felt acid taste on his tongue. He didn’t have any naive expectations that their friend will turn to them at some point, but the more he learned about so called ‘new boyfriend’, the more Hendery didn’t like it even one bit. Winwin’s heart was pure, he was too kind and naive - Hendery had all rights to be worried that this Lucas is using his friend. What if he’s some Casanova who’s out to catch pretty young boys like Winwin into his net?

‘I thought so too,’ Sicheng admits and is surprised by how he can easily open up on this subject. ‘But now I don’t think so. Weren’t you the one who told me that age and sub-gender are just metrics that shouldn’t matter at all?’

Hendery bites his tongue. He did say that. He wanted his friend to get rid off all that junk of stereotypes and prejudices that he had in his head, wanted Winwin to feel free, to get out of the cage. He never expected this would backfire like this. Hendery glances at Xiaojun, who looks torn between wanting to take Hendery’s side and also comfort Winwin.

‘It’s just…’ Hendery starts and then moves towards his two friends, who instantly scoot over, giving him some space in bed to lay. ‘I don’t know, Winwinnie. Not only he’s much older, but also he has this, I don’t know, status? Like he has certain power, I wouldn’t have reacted like this if you said he’s working in some bakery or something, but he’s in a top position in such a big company… power play is on its highest here.’

‘I agree,’ Xiaojun says before Sicheng can voice out his protests. ‘What Hendery wants to say is that we both are a bit worried for his… motives.’

Sicheng stares omega in the eyes and can physically feel how insecurities crawl out, ready to haunt him again. Shame burns his eyes and they start to sting with tears. ‘You think someone of that status can’t have feelings for someone like me?’

Xiaojun’s mouth opens in shock and Hendery shoots up from bed, shaking his head so quick that it looks like it might fall off. Both of them shout ‘ _No!_ ’ in unison, scaring Sicheng. Xiaojun grabs his face and squeezes it, making beta look at him.

‘Winwinnie,’ he calls in a serious voice, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. ‘You’re brilliant. Someone of that status would be a fool not to look at you and fall in love. Anyone who doesn’t think you’re beautiful is blind. Okay?’

Sicheng’s throat tightens with feelings and he blinks rapidly, trying to get rid of the tears that unexpectedly formed in his eyes. He stares at Xiao and sees sincerity and fierce determination to make him believe in those words. Hendery sits up and brushes hair out of his face, smiling gently, but also managing to look stern.

‘He should count himself lucky,’ he says and affection pours out of him in waves that calm Sicheng down and also overwhelm him. ‘I hope he realizes how lucky he is to call himself your boyfriend, Winwin.’ Hendery wants to add that he and Xiao would kill for that opportunity, but he doesn’t need to bring more drama in their lives. Afterall, Xiao has Kun and he has… whatever it is that he has with Ten. Winwin should be happy too, even if reason of happiness is someone else, not him or Xiao. Even if it makes Hendery’s heart ache.

‘I don’t know-’ Sicheng’s voice cracks and he clears his throat, trying again: ‘I don’t know if it’s him who should consider himself lucky. I have both of you as friends, I think I’m obviously the luckiest one.’

Xiaojun’s answering smile makes Sicheng smile back sincerely. Omega coos and leans down, leaving two kisses on beta’s cheeks, making them redden with shyness. Hendery smiles watching these two and once Xiao is done, he also leans in, but just to boop Sicheng’s nose and stare at him with unhidden fondness. _What a precious boy,_ Hendery thinks, when his friend tries to cover his face. _Lucas is one lucky fucker_.

‘I’m starving,’ Xiaojun mutters and then turns to two other boys with the most angelic smile ever. ‘Do you wanna cook for me?’

Sicheng starts laughing, while Hendery dramatically shakes his head and says that Xiao needs him for one thing and one thing only - his cooking skills.

‘Is Kun as good at cooking as everyone says?’ Sicheng asks and smiles, when Junnie lights up at the mention of another alpha.

They spend next hour in the little kitchen, listening to Xiao’s stories about Kun and his vocal practices, watching Hendery cook. Sicheng tried his best to help, but then he learned that concentrating on cutting vegetable is impossible, when Xiaojun starts singing. Their omega friend truly has a gift and listening to him sing is one of the best ways to spend time; even other students, who were at the kitchen at that time stopped and listened to him. Xiaojun blushed under the attention, but beamed happily when one after one compliments started to flow. They started discussing New year show, when Sicheng’s phone buzzes with an incoming call. Hendery nods when he tells that he’s going to come soon and beta exits the kitchen, going to the end of the corridor before picking up.

‘Hey,’ he says, a bit shy, smiling.

‘Hey pretty,’ Yukhei greets. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Cooking with friends. We’re making vegetable stew. What about you? What is that sound?’

‘It’s a white noise, I turn it on to relieve some stress,’ alpha answers and his tone is so soft and quiet - exact opposite of how he usually speaks with everyone else - that it fills Sicheng’s heart with shimmering happiness. ‘You didn’t call today.’

Sicheng knows that Yukhei is pouting right now, because he can literally hear that pout through his voice. Not so long ago Yukhei synchronized their calendars when Sicheng admitted that he’s not calling alpha because he’s afraid that he might disturb him during his meetings and etc. Alpha stared at him with wide eyes and then almost knocked down the table in the process of trying to reach Sicheng to kiss him senseless. ‘ _You are the cutest!’_ Yukhei whispered into his ear and then asked for his e-mail address. As a result, now when Sicheng opens his gmail to check calendar he immediately sees Yukhei’s schedule too, with all of the meetings and everything else. (‘ _Now you know when I’m busy and when I’m not, so call whenever I don’t have a meeting._ ’)

‘My phone died after first lecture and I charged it only one hour ago,’ beta explained, feeling sorry. He promised to call, seeing that this day wasn’t full of meetings for alpha. ‘How did-’

‘Where are you right now?’ Yukhei suddenly asks, interrupting. ‘Sorry for cutting you off like that, I just thought that I really want to see you and got too excited.’

Sicheng bites his lower lip, blushing. How Yukhei can be that honest and open still is beyond him. How alpha can say that easily what’s on his mind, how he talks openly about his feelings without hiding anything still shocks beta to the core. But this is also something that he likes the most about Yukhei, something that is so alluring in its freedom that Sicheng just falls for it more and more.

‘I’m at the dorm,’ beta answers and adds in a regretful tone: ‘And I’m with my friends, we haven’t hang out in a while. I don’t think we can meet tonight.’

‘Can’t I just stop by for few minutes? Five minutes maximum, I promise, I won’t kidnap you for long. Just want to see you real quick.’

Yukhei says and at that moment he’s already at the door, putting on his sneakers. Sicheng hears familiar sounds of door being opened, closed and then key turning in the lock. He then hears rapid footsteps and heavy breathing on the other side first confuses him, but then realization hits him like a brick.

‘Yukhei, are you- are you running down the stairs right now?!’

‘Yeah, if I used the elevator then connection would have stopped, so I went for the stairs. I live on the second floor, it’s not a big deal,’ alpha answers so casually like it really is not a big deal.

But it is, for Sicheng. Even in this little gesture Yukhei manages to show how he cares and Sicheng wishes he was as good; he can only hope that he makes alpha feel the same butterflies that he has in his stomach constantly, because of him.

‘I didn’t even say yes,’ he lets out, chuckling. ‘I didn’t even agree and you’re already out of your home.’

‘Even if you did say no, I’d find an excuse and still would have drove to wherever you are,’ alpha admits sheepishly, walking to his car. ‘Send me an address? I don’t think your friends will kill you if you come back with food. What do you guys want? I’ll stop somewhere on my way and buy it.’

Sicheng’s heart grows impossibly big, so big that it might break his ribs and fly away. How did he get so lucky? ‘You don’t have to do that.’

‘I hear that awful lot from you,’ Yukhei answers, turning engine on. ‘You keep on saying that. I know that I don’t have to. I want to, that’s why I suggested it.’

‘Don’t talk and drive,’ beta says, afraid that his heart may stop if Yukhei continues saying things like that. ‘I’ll message you the address. Send me a text when you’ll be here.’

They end the call shortly and Sicheng stays in the corridor for a while, calming his racing heart. He hears laughter and screaming coming from the kitchen and it makes him smile; he doesn’t live in the dormitory, so things like that are unfamiliar to him. When he comes back everyone’s jamming to pink $weats’ album, singing along to a popular ‘honesty’ with its’ _love will happen when it wants_ lyrics, while Hendery tries to open the window so the smell of a bit burnt vegetables will not be so strong. Xiao hits the high note and everyone claps, someone starts hyping him up and Sicheng doesn’t think twice before grabbing his phone and filming all of it. They eat then, tease Hendery for his burnt vegetables and discuss upcoming final exams. It’s nice, Sicheng muses. He’s surrounded by people he doesn’t really know, but instead of feeling anxious he feels light; beta blends in, makes some comments, participates in conversation for a little and even manages to meet a new person. Time passes quickly and he’s almost surprised when Yukhei texts him that he’s waiting in front of the gates.

‘Where are you going?’ Xiao asks, when Sicheng stands up in a rush.

‘I’ll bring more food,’ he answers and runs to the gates.

Hendery’s room is on the third floor and by the time he reaches front gates, Sicheng is panting. He takes a turn to the right and crashes right into alpha, knocking both of them down. Yukhei stumbles under a sudden weight and takes two steps back, bumping into his car and locking his hands around Sicheng’s middle. He starts laughing loudly, fondly ruffling beta’s hair.

‘I’m sorry!’ Sicheng exclaims, all red from both running so fast and embarrassment. ‘Are you okay?’

Yukhei chuckles and stares at the way Sicheng’s hands are right on his chest. He turns to younger boy and winks. ‘I’m okay. By the way, feel my shirt. It’s made out of boyfriend material.’

Sicheng blinks and then groans in exasperation, making alpha laugh loudly again. ‘Don’t say things like that!’

‘They make you blush, so sorry, I’ll keep saying them. Do you have an extra heart? Because you stole mine.’ Yukhei only laughs, when beta starts hitting him with hands. ‘Okay-okay, I’ll stop for now.’

Alpha leans closer and gently kisses his boyfriend in greeting, internally cheering for the way Sicheng immediately relaxes, leaning into the touch. Beta was always so hesitant at first, but soon he learned to let go and enjoy any affection that Yukhei was giving him, so for Wong, the fact that Sicheng wraps his arms around his neck, is a victory. He leans back, but not before pecking lips in front of him two more times quickly, smiling.

‘Hey pretty,’ he says quietly into the space between them, pulling boy even closer to him, so their bodies aligned. ‘I missed you.’

‘Hi,’ Sicheng says in a tiny voice, smiling bashfully. ‘Missed you too.’

Yukhei smiles fondly at this and his hand starts caressing Sicheng’s back. ‘I saw how you missed me, you ran so fast here. My ego has gotten impossibly big, it doesn’t fit in the car now.’ He kisses beta’s cheeks, unable to resist him. ‘I came with news, by the way. Those clients called back and…’

‘And?’ Sicheng holds his breath, preparing for the worst. ‘Tell me!’

‘And they are fully on board with our PR plan. Our side’s preparing contract. They said they’ll come back later with comments about your sketch, but it’s clear that they’re not going to change it much. Sicheng, your sketch, that dream house - it will become real.’

Yukhei didn’t want to tell this by the phone; he thought these news were important enough to be told in person and he was completely right. If he told them by the phone then he’d miss this look of pure surprise and happiness in Sicheng’s face. His handsome boyfriend looks shell-shocked and he gapes at Yukhei, gripping his shoulders, trying to form words.

‘You did it,’ Yukhei whispers in Chinese, looking into Sicheng’s eyes. ‘I’m very proud of you.’

Sicheng face changes at that, softens. He takes Yukhei’s palm into his and kisses the inside of alpha’s wrist with all gentleness that he possesses. ‘ _We_ did it,’ he corrects also in Chinese.

This gesture - Sicheng kissing inside of his wrist - wakes something in Yukhei. His whole being trembles with hidden passion that he was afraid to show to beta, because he knew that boy is not ready yet. But this time Wong doesn’t hold back; he dives for a hungry kisses, immediately licking into beta’s mouth. Sicheng is surprised at first and maybe a bit confused, but he responds to the kiss, trying to find matching rhythm with alpha. Yukhei’s tongue explores his mouth, doesn’t let him move because his hands hold his head firmly. Sicheng struggles to keep up but then surrenders to alpha, letting him take the reins and being rewarded with a smile right into the kiss. Yukhei doesn’t end kiss as abruptly as he started it; no, he prolongs it, minimizing intensity, first taking Sicheng’s upper lip and then his bottom lip between his teeth. This kiss shocks both of them with its intent, turning blood into fire in their veins. Beta opens his eyes only when alpha fully leans back and takes a deep breath, realizing that both of them let their scents go wild.

‘Our scents..’ he whispers and wants to add that they mix perfectly, creating a perfume worthy combination that screams of untouched forest during the rain, but says nothing.

Yukhei breathes in and smiles, closing his eyes for a second. _Perfect._ He says as much out loud, relishing in the way Sicheng nods, smiling happily. ‘Oh and I bought food, by the way. You didn’t tell me anything, so I thought KFC is always a good choice. Hope I wasn’t wrong.’ Alpha takes out two full bags of KFC, handing them to amused beta. ‘What? Was I wrong?’

‘KFC to uni students is a holy grail, you hit the jackpot,’ Sicheng answers and suddenly leans in, quickly kissing alpha’s cheek. ‘Thank you for this.’

Yukhei smiles, genuinely happy that he can do something for this boy in front of him. Sicheng’s sincere reactions and the way his eyes shine with gratefulness and something more, something closer to fondness, makes alpha want to do something for him again and again. ‘Always welcome.’

Sicheng turns to the dormitory and then back to alpha. ‘I better go. I told them that I’ll bring more food and if I stay longer all of them come running down here.’

Without any words both of them step closer for a kiss and then step back with identical smiles. Sicheng waves and shakes his head when alpha whispers: ‘bye pretty’. Yukhei takes a turn and watches with hands in the pockets of his jeans as beta walks towards the dormitory. Only when he enters the building, alpha goes back to his car. He wasted two hours of his life for it: to find KFC spot, wait for his order to be done and then drive to the dormitory, which is literally on the other end of the city for him as Yukhei lives closer to suburbs. All for mere ten minutes with Sicheng. Beta doesn’t know where he lives, doesn’t know long it takes to get to him and Yukhei is not planning on telling; he’s sure that if he learns Sicheng will protest for mindless driving back and forth. Yukhei chuckles, imagining Sicheng’s expression at that moment: eyebrows furrowed in anger, lips turned into a thin line, his adorable cheeks puffed out a bit. It’s first for him too - this kind of relationships. Yukhei doesn’t exactly _do_ relationships - he was more of a one night stand kind of guy for a long time. If he told anyone that here he is, driving for an hour just to see a boy for few minutes and all they did was just kiss, no one would believe him. Hell, he wouldn’t have believed in this too. But despite absence of a boyfriend for many years, Yukhei always knew that when he’ll have one, he will treat them exactly like he’s treating Sicheng right now. Because seeing beta smile at him makes him happy. Holding this young boy in his arms calms him down, brings him into a state of serenity. It’s been only two weeks and Yukhei’s not going to proclaim that he’s in love, even if it feels like it. In the end, he’s not exactly sure what does ‘being in love’ entail, but he feels he’ll learn it. With Sicheng.

+=+

Taeyong refuses to look at Jaehyun’s office again. He buries himself in the work and tries not to get distracted in general and he almost succeeds. Gnawing feeling of anger and sadness is on the back of his mind and he can’t seem to let go. Lee hates arguments and conflicts for this specific reason - for his complete inability to just let go. He can’t act unaffected or make it seem like everything is fine; he worries, turns situation again and again in his head until he feels light headache. It’s been two days since that talk and they are yet to make up. Fact that alpha is not reaching out to him offends Taeyong on one side and also makes him really worried on the other side. He is sure that Jaehyun should be the one to come to him with a white flag, but alpha’s silence makes him question everything; was he too harsh? Did he overreact? Is Taeyong at fault here? For these two days they haven’t met at all: as all of their calendars are synchronized Taeyong could see that alpha was busy with constant meetings, but he could have taken a one minute of his time to text omega, right? It’s been scientifically proven that the more we think the more negative our thoughts turn out to be and it works exactly this way with Lee. His thoughts turn darker, uglier; light anger slowly starts to turn to a full-on rage. On the first day Taeyong thought about giving alpha a cold shoulder, but turned out he didn’t even have to do so, as Jaehyun didn’t get out of his office at all. The only interaction that they had in two days was only his reply to Taeyong’s finished matrix, a very short: ‘Good job’. Taeyong checked his phone many times, hoping for at least a text from Jung but he received nothing. _Why he’s not texting?_ Taeyong questions, chewing on his bottom lip. _Does he not care?_ At one point omega thought of texting first but then his pride took the best of him: he’s the one who’s hurt, why should he text first? When he voiced this thought to Sicheng his roommate said that this sounds a bit childish. Taeyong huffed and crossed hands on his chest.

‘Then why he’s not texting me? It’s also because of pride, he’s more prideful than I am,’ Taeyong muttered, pouting at his friend.

Sicheng sighed and gently ruffled omega’s hair. ‘I think pride shouldn’t play such a big part in relationships. Why care who texts first?’

Taeyong didn’t have an answer for that. But if he’s one thing then it’s stubborn, so he stubbornly refused to text first. On the second day Lee tried to catch a glimpse of alpha, but Jaehyun again didn’t walk out of his office at all. It was getting on Taeyong’s nerves even more than Yeri’s weird stares. Or maybe those stares weren’t weird, but she never looked at him before and all she did yesterday was _look_ at him and - it unnerves him. Maybe he’s paranoid?

‘Ice-cream!’ Haechan announces loudly, appearing in front of Taeyong. ‘Let’s go and eat some ice-cream!’

‘It’s raining today,’ omega says, looking out of the window. ‘And it’s cold, are you sure you want to go and buy ice-cream now?’

‘Yeri bought everyone ice-cream, so the least we can do is thank her and eat it all,’ Haechan shrugs and then drags omega by hand to the kitchen, where his little team occupied one of the tables.

Jungwoo and Yeri happily much on their vanilla cons and with a smile Yeri offers Haechan his ice-cream with chocolate chip cookie. She then turns to Taeyong and her smile falters a bit, but then she hands him his ice-cream and omega is curious to see which one she picked for him. _Strawberry._ Taeyong tries not to show his inner panic and instead looks up with a smile on his face. Yeri watches him closely and if before he thought that maybe he’s just being paranoid then now Taeyong’s sure that he was right. She didn’t pick this flavor just because. They stare at each other for tad too long and Lee swears if everyone would shut up for one second they’d hear his loud heartbeat. _This is just a coincidence_. He tries to tell himself that, but Yeri’s gaze is too calculating and smile’s too forced for it to look natural.

‘I love vanilla!’ Jungwoo exclaims and turns to Yeri. ‘How did you know?’

‘Just guessed,’ Yeri smiles sweetly. ‘Well I guessed everyone but Haechan, because we all know how he loves anything with chocolate.’

Taeyong’s mind races with different thoughts and he’s never been the one to just act like nothing happened, so he decides to go for an attack: ‘Why did you pick strawberry for me?’

Yeri turns and shadow passed her face so quickly that omega wouldn’t believed it happened if he weren’t watching her closely. ‘I thought that you might like it. Was I wrong?’

‘No, strawberry is my favorite,’ Lee replies, hoping his voice is not faltering. _Get a grip_. ‘You hit the bull’s eye.’

‘It was easy to pick for you too,’ she suddenly says, voice loud and everyone turns to her. ‘I thought that you’d like strawberry because I noticed how you distinctly smell like one. Is that your hand cream? Or cologne?’

Taeyong’s heart stopped. It made a backflip and then started beating twice as hard as it did before. His tongue didn’t move, but situation was saved by cheerful Wendy, who commented how it’s probably Taeyong’s hand cream, because his hands are always very soft to the touch.

‘Y-yeah,’ Lee stuttered and smiled at Wendy. ‘I can bring it tomorrow for you to look, I’ll tell you where I bought it.’

Wendy nods in agreement. Taeyong turns to Yeri, who’s staring at him with innocent facial expression, like she asked the most mundane thing in the world. Like she wasn’t _this_ close to shattering Taeyong’s world in pieces. Everyone’s busy with eating ice-cream and talking about upcoming movie premiere and how everyone wants to go, but omega can’t focus on the conversation; he’s trying not to shake, not to show how affected he is, but it’s super hard. Haechan’s laugh and Jungwoo’s sarcastic remarks fade to the background and all he can concentrate on is Yeri. He’s trying to watch her discreetly, but unmistakable tension between both of them eats him up. She’s smiling to her teammates, eyes bright and smile wide, but Taeyong knows she feels his gaze on her, because her posture is tense and she’s avoiding making eye contact with him.

‘Mr.Jung seems to be in a bad mood these days,’ Jungwoo says, already done with his ice-cream and trying to take a bite from Wendy’s. ‘I sent him finished task yesterday and he sent it to me back saying that I should change everything. Usually he pinpoints certain mistakes though.’

‘Maybe you did everything wrong?’ Haechan asks and receives a sharp elbow in his ribs. ‘Ouch!’

‘He has a lot of meetings,’ Wendy comments and gives half of his ice-cream to Jungwoo. ‘And Mr.Wong stopped by really often, it’s a bit weird.’

Only Yeri and Taeyong stayed silent during this conversation. Both of them made a whole show of being concentrated on finishing their half-melted ice-creams, trying not to look at each other or, god forbid, catch each other’s gaze. How does tension between them escapes attention of any other teammates is beyond Taeyong.

‘Did you notice- oh, hello Mr.Jung.’ Jungwoo stands up and bows, just like rest of the team.

Jaehyun looks up and narrows his eyes, looking like he’s surprised to see them. Alpha checks time on his watch and then sighs, also bowing and telling everyone to continue on and that he just came for a cup of tea. Haechan swiftly turns conversation back to the topic of upcoming movie, but Taeyong can’t look away from his manager. Jaehyun looks not just tired, but downright exhausted. He’s never seen him like this; his shirt is wrinkled, hair in a messy state, dark circles under his eyes are very prominent even in a shitty lightning that they have in a kitchen. Everything in Jung’s moves screams of exhaustion - it’s like he barely lifts his hand and does everything on an autopilot. Of course no one gets a whiff of Jaehyun’s scent but him and Taeyong senses tiredness and annoyance in it. _No. Don’t go soft_ , he sternly tells himself, but his heart aches at seeing his mate in this state.

‘Mr.Jung, are you okay? You look very tired,’ Yeri says and comes closer to where Jaehyun waits for the kettle to boil.

Taeyong grits his teeth in annoyance. Hair on his arms stand up and he wants to scream at Yeri to back off. He should be the one to ask that! Jaehyun, to his delight, doesn’t even pay attention to the girl, lost in his thoughts. He doesn’t acknowledge Yeri’s questions and Taeyong shouldn’t feel happy for that, but he does. Haechan gestures for Yeri to come closer, feeling bad for the way she’s been ignored by Jung and she frowns, but steps away from their manager, coming back to the table. She looks up and catches Taeyong’s gaze, quickly turning away.

‘I will bring you report about statistics in two hours, Mr.Jung,’ Wendy says, loud enough for everyone in the kitchen to hear.

Jaehyun blinks and absentmindedly looks at their table. His gaze stops at Taeyong for a second too long - omega holds his breath - and then turns back to the kettle, nodding. Lee bites his lower lip hard to prevent himself from saying something. Seeing alpha like this tugs at his heartstrings and he stands up and throws his ice-cream to the bin.

‘Thanks for the ice-cream Yeri,’ he says and then waves to everyone. ‘I’ll go, I need to finish my report too.’

They all wave back to him and he quickly goes out of the kitchen, feeling Jaehyun’s gaze on his back. Taeyong suddenly turns and walks to the toilet and thanks gods that no one is there as he heavily leans on the wall, squeezing his eyes shut. He wants to go back to Jaehyun and hug him. Wants to bury his face in alpha’s neck, hold him close and tell him that he misses him and that everything will be alright. He wants to do this in front of _everyone_ \- especially in front of Yeri - so everyone would know that they belong to each other, so there will be no secrets to hide. His mother always told him that things worth having don’t come easy, but god, does it have to be this hard? And is it really worth it? Is this whole thing, his career and destined mate worth his heart bleeding?

Sound of approaching footsteps makes him quickly step closer to the sink and he turns water on, clearing his throat. His breath hitches when familiar scent enters his nostrils and he doesn’t have to rise his head to know that Jaehyun is the one who came in, closing door after himself. Taeyong is barely breathing while alpha does a methodic job of checking every stall and only when he made sure that no one is here apart from them, does he dare to step closer to Taeyong. They are not touching, but omega’s skin burns with anticipation; heat coming from Jaehyun’s body makes him want to lean back and plaster his back to alpha’s chest. Nerves on high alert, Taeyong doesn’t rise his head in fear of meeting Jung’s eyes in the reflection; Lee automatically washes his hands and then turns tap off. His right hand reaches out for tissues but gets caught by Jaehyun’s fingers. Taeyong freezes, still not looking up. He tries not to tremble, but then alpha steps impossibly closer, his chest touches Lee’s back and omega crumbles. His right hand falls and he bites his lower lip so hard he almost draws blood, when Jaehyun’s nose touches his temple. Taeyong looks up at the reflection - alpha’s eyes closed, his body fully enveloping omega’s and they look perfect. Like two pieces of the puzzles fit together.

‘Mr.Jung,’ Taeyong calls, gathering all his will and trying his hardest not to melt. He’s stronger than that. ‘Step back, please.’

‘Taeyong,’ Jaehyun breathes out, his hot breath on omega’s temple makes him shiver. There’s hint of begging in his voice. ’Don’t be so cruel.’

Taeyong almost laughs at that. He is the one who’s cruel here? Jaehyun’s nose slides down and against any logic Lee turns his head to the side, giving alpha full access of his neck. He has no control when it comes to Jung; his body moves on its own accord. Jaehyun hums approvingly and Taeyong’s ears turn red.

‘Anyone can come in,’ Lee whispers and he has to move away, but he doesn’t move. ‘And see us.’

‘I locked the door,’ Jaehyun replies and nuzzles into his neck, sighing in contempt.

Alpha’s arm rise and he wraps them around omega’s torso. The hold is not tight, Taeyong can easily break it if he wants to; but the truth is he doesn’t want that. Maybe the right thing to do would be to continue acting cold, but his heart sings when Jaehyun holds him so close and Taeyong’s never been strong enough to resist this pull. He feels immense pride in the way Jung’s so obviously calmed by his presence; satisfaction notes add up to his scent. Taeyong lays his arms on top of alpha’s on his waist and stares at their reflection. Jaehyun looks like he’s okay with standing like this for hours, like he can fall asleep in this pose.

‘Please don’t hate me,’ alpha suddenly whispers into his neck, not opening his eyes. Taeyong freezes, his whole body tenses up and Jaehyun’s hold on him tightens in response. Jung’s voice wavers, showing his vulnerability. ‘Taeyong, please-’

‘I don’t hate you,’ omega answers briskly and tries to move away, but Jaehyun’s arms don’t let him. ‘I said I don’t hate you, so let me go.’

‘I’m trying,’ Jaehyun says and this time he rises his head, meeting Taeyong’s gaze in the reflection. ‘I.. You were right. You were right and I’m sorry, Taeyong. I’m trying to-’

‘Should have done it before I pointed everything out to you,’ Taeyong interrupts, suddenly getting extremely annoyed at alpha and anxious of the fact that door is locked and if someone tries to get in, this person will see both of them here and will have questions. Anxiety makes him very nervous and he says again: ’Now let me go. We’re in the toilet and it’s dangerous.’

Jaehyun hold his gaze and his dark orbs burn with fire and intent that makes omega’s knees buckle. He almost expects alpha to turn him around and kiss him, because that’s what he reads on Jaehyun’s face, his desire written unashamedly. But instead alpha squeezes his waist and lets him go, unwraps his arms around him and steps back. Taeyong with shock realizes that he wasn’t breathing this whole time and shame crawls in his mind, because he _wanted_ alpha to kiss him. It’s wrong, but he wanted Jaehyun to kiss him, silence his protests - let omega know that he’s still _his_.

‘I’m sorry,’ Jaehyun clears his throat and runs his fingers through messy hair. ‘I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I’m sorry.’

Taeyong doesn’t reply and alpha looks down, cheeks coloring dustily in pink. Jung exits toilet and Taeyong follows automatically, not wanting to stay there for any more seconds. _What was that?_ When Lee turns in the corner, still trying to shake off weird feeling and come to his senses, he quickly sits on his desk. Taeyong reaches out for his half full bottle of water and empties it in one go, shaking a little. He’s a mess of different emotions tangled in one and it fucks with his head, irritates him to the point where he just wants to shout and throw things around like a main character in some cheap tv series. _For fuck’s sake._ He rises his head and almost bites his tongue in surprise, when his gaze meets Yeri’s. She’s staring at him unblinking, her big doe eyes concentrated fully on his face and part of Taeyong wants to snap, but he holds it in. He even manages to offer her something that resembles a smile and she smiles back, turning away. Lee stares at her back and his fingers itch from desire to shake her shoulders and ask her what she knows, what she’s thinking - he wants to shake out truth from her, despite knowing that this truth will most probably hurt him a lot. His seventh sense never lied and now it’s screaming inside of him, telling him that Yeri knows _something_. His thought gets disturbed by incoming phone call and Taeyong sighs in relief, when he sees who’s calling.

‘Hey,’ he answers, lips forming into a smile. ‘Aren’t you suppose to be in the class?’

‘Professor is sick, so I’m out early,’ Sicheng answers. ‘Just wanted to check in. How are you?’

Warmth fills Taeyong’s heart and he smiles wider, leaning back on the chair. ‘Thanks, Sichengie. I’m okay, don’t worry.’

‘Physically wise too?’ Beta asks and Taeyong frowns. ‘You don’t have a headache yet?’

‘Why would I have one?’

‘Because just now reminder popped in my phone,’ Sicheng answers. ‘Your heat’s about to start in two days, didn’t you know?’

Taeyong blinks and then groans quietly, closing his eyes. _Of course._ Sicheng sets up a reminder two days before his heat, so he’d have time to find a place to stay to give Taeyong some privacy during his heat. How did Lee forget about it? He sits up and glances at a calendar on his desk, sighing internally. Two months passed too quickly, he completely forgot about his heat.

‘I forgot,’ he admits and knows that Sicheng rolled his eyes just now. ‘I need to talk with Dr.Kim.’

‘And take a sick leave,’ Sicheng reminds him. ‘You’re lucky it’s due to weekends, Yongie.’

Taeyong sighs. For how long he’ll stay this lucky? Heats can be irregular, schedule can turn erratic and what he will do then? Omega chews on his lower lip, admitting to himself that he should have thought it through better. _Jaehyun was right._

‘I’ll handle it,’ he says to his roommate. ‘You are staying with Xiao and Hendery tonight too?’

‘Yeah, but if you need me to come back I’ll-’

‘No-no, it’s okay, stay with them,’ omega quickly interrupts and notices how people around him started to turn their heads to his side. ‘I gotta go now, Sichengie. Thanks for calling, love you.’

Sicheng says the same and Lee ends the call just in time to see Jungwoo and Haechan looking at him with raised eyebrows. They starts teasing him, making kissy faces and ask rather loudly with who Taeyong was talking on the phone. None of them noticed Mr.Jung walking out of his office, when Jungwoo loudly asked in a dramatic tone:

‘With who you were talking on a phone, Taeyong? Who made you smile that much? You had this expression on your face-’, Jungwoo tries to mimic Taeyong’s face, which earns him a slap on the shoulder from said omega, ‘-you looked like you’re in loooove! Haechan, you saw that, right?’

‘I did! Oh that young love, oh those heart eyes!’

By now everyone was staring at them, smiling at interaction. Wendy tried to calm Jungwoo down, but when Haechan joined him these two become unstoppable. Yeri stares at them with a frown on her face, like she’s trying to understand what is going on. Taeyong shakes his head, trying to avoid talking about his personal life, when suddenly he senses acid smell in the air. It takes him exactly two seconds to realize that it’s Jaehyun’s scent that turned bitter out of…anger? jealousy?

‘I see you don’t have enough work to do if you’re having fun now,’ alpha’s strict voice immediately puts an end to everyone’s cheerful talking. ‘And here I thought that I gave you all too many tasks and should go easier on you.’

No one had something to say, heads down and stares fixed on their shoes. Everybody knew that getting on Mr.Jung’s bad side is not the best idea, so silence filled their corner as manager stared them down. Taeyong felt a prickle of sweat on his forehead from the way Jaehyun’s scent was turning more acid each second.

‘I’m sorry, sir,’ he says, knowing that he should calm alpha down before something bad happens to his whole team. He _needs_ to let Jaehyun know that it was Sicheng he talked to. ‘My roommate called and I should have went out to reply, but I didn’t. Sorry for causing a commotion here.’

He holds his breath in trepidation and lets it out only when alpha’s scent changes. The change is barely noticeable but Taeyong spent too much time basking in Jaehyun’s scent, so he can pick up even the slightest change in it. A sigh of relief almost leaves his mouth as Jung clears his throat and asks everyone to lower the volume of their talks, because they’re disturbing everyone else. When manager leaves, Taeyong looks up and almost laughs out loud when he sees Jungwoo mimicking Jaehyun behind his back.

‘We really are super loud, let’s tone it down,’ Wendy says and goes back to her desk, just like everyone else.

Taeyong ends up alone, staring at his laptop screen with opened excel. Two days. He knows this heat will be worse than his usual ones if he spends it without alpha. Now that his body knows the taste and the feel of his destined mate, spending heat without him will be a torture. Taeyong knows everything by heart: tomorrow he’ll start feeling dizzy, sweating. Then stomach crumps will start and that’s only a small part of what he’s about to experience. Maybe heat will even start tomorrow, who knows, he always counted two days back and forth, because his heats never did come within a certain time like clock. Lee turns and stares at closed doors of Jaehyun’s office. _Should he…?_ Before he’ll lose his last ounce of courage and his pride will make him question all of his decision, Taeyong grabs his phone and sends a text message to Jaehyun:

‘ _my heat starts in two days._ ’

He anxiously looks at the screen, where he can see that message was delivered and read instantly. There’s nothing for a second and then grey bubble with dots appears and omega holds his breath, waiting for an answer from alpha.

‘ _come to my office right now._ ’

And then in the next second another message from him: ‘ _please._ ’

Taeyong rolls his eyes good-naturedly and stands up. Before going to the office he checks where Yeri is and with a sigh of relief realizes that she and Wendy went to their briefing session. You can never be too careful. He knocks quietly and only then enters his manager’s office, closing door behind him. Taeyong doesn’t move from the door, preferring to stay here; he knows he’s weak, knows that if Jaehyun touches him he’ll lose any sense of logic, so he stays rooted to his spot, looking down.

‘Taeyong,’ Jaehyun calls and omega lifts his head. ‘I… can you come closer? Or should we discuss this while you’re standing next to the door?’

‘I’m okay here,’ Lee stubbornly says and he doesn’t see how Jaehyun fights back small smile that almost appeared on his lips.

‘Alright,’ Jaehyun rises both of his hands in the universal gesture of surrender. ‘So your heat’s about to start in two days?’

‘Approximately, maybe it’ll start tomorrow, my cycle is always a bit early or late for few days. I will handle sick leave thing on my own.’ Taeyong’s voice doesn’t waver, although inside he’s shaking like a leaf on the wind.

‘And how are you… I mean,’ Jaehyun licks his lips, struggling to put a sentence together. ‘How are you planning to spend it?’

Taeyong rises one eyebrow at this and stays silent. Jaehyun feels his pulse picking up and tries to act cool. He never had this conversation before and hence he’s not sure how to approach this topic especially in the current situation, when both of them are not exactly on talking terms. Jaehyun doesn’t know if he should be delicate about it or just be his usual straightforward self and just say that he’ll go crazy if Taeyong spends this heat with someone else. Just the thought of another alpha touching his omega wakes up an illogical desire in him; desire to crush and burn everything. Deciding not to beat around the bush Jaehyun voices out his thoughts:

‘I’d be honored- I mean..Taeyong, I’d very much like to spend your heat with you if you let me. If not - I understand, fully. Just…’

‘Just what?’ Taeyong asks, cocking his head to the side and watching alpha attentively.

‘Just don’t spend it with someone else,’ Jaehyun lets out, words like poison on his tongue. ‘It’s okay if you don’t want to spend it with me, I understand that, but please don’t spend it with someone else.’

‘It hurts without alpha,’ Taeyong says and watches as Jaehyun balls his hands into fists, lips turning into a thin line. _He can have his bit of revenge now, can he?_ ‘You’re so selfish that you want me to spend my heat alone if I say no to you? You don’t know hurtful it is, toys don’t satisfy you enough, they don’t bring as much pleasure as alpha can.’

Jaehyun grits his teeth. Taeyong stares at alpha, sees every emotion passing his face. He picks up aggravations notes in Jung’s scent and watches as Jaehyun tries not show how irritated and angry he’s getting.

‘ _Taeyong_ ,’ he calls warningly and omega shivers at the way his name rolls from alpha’s tongue. Jaehyun doesn’t stand up, he’s still far from Lee, but the power and strength he emits makes omega want to cower somewhere. ‘Come here.’

His legs move before he even realize it; he’s standing in front of alpha in mere minutes, only table between them. Jaehyun rises, but doesn’t move, just leans closer, putting both hands on the sides of the table, staring at omega like he’s two seconds away from eating him out alive.

‘You’re my omega, Taeyong,’ he whispers, but to Taeyong it’s as loud as drums. ‘You can spend this heat alone if you don’t want to be spend it with me - I understand that in our current situation you don’t want me anywhere near you. But don’t you dare to think, even for a second, that I’ll let another alpha touch you. As long as we’re together you will take only my knot.’

Taeyong stares at him like hypnotized, not being able to look away. His inner omega sings inside, pleased that alpha is striking a claim, basking in the way Jaehyun looks ready to devour him whole. His cheeks redden and he tries to not show how affected he is, but Jaehyun sees that glazed look in his eyes and smirks. Taeyong steps back and stumbles, managing to catch himself before he falls.

‘Tell me when it starts,’ Jaehyun says when Taeyong’s almost at the door. ‘I’ll bring everything you need. Water, food - just text me what you need and I’ll buy it. And Taeyong?’ Omega turns and alpha sighs, looking serious. ‘I am sorry. You were right about effort and I’ll show you that you can trust me.’

Taeyong can’t help but smile at this. He stares at alpha and sees how he means every word, how deeply hurt he is by just the notion that Taeyong thought he’s not trying for them.

‘I…I really want to spend your heat with you if you let me,’ Jaehyun whispers, looking him in the eye.

 _I want it too,_ Taeyong almost says. But he just nods and goes out of his office. He tries not to smile wide and ducks his head down, going back to his desk. Excel file is still open but Taeyong doesn’t feel annoyance when he looks at it. Omega reaches out to the calendar at the end of his desk and marks upcoming two days red, smiling to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's so much wayv content these days im just AJBLBDKN:NF
> 
> anyway hello bubs!! how are you all doing? hope this chapter did not disappoint any of you <3 
> 
> thank you for being kind souls and always leaving kudos and comments. my heart is full and i lovelovelovelove all of you 💜 
> 
> let me know your thoughts and what you think will happen in the next chapter ! (apart from smut, of course. because yeS, there finally will be smut cause,, heat! i feel like everyone in the back is like 'FUCKING FINALLY'😆 i hope smut will be up for your liking, babes, i'll try very my best!!) 
> 
> as usual, sending you tightest hugs. stay healthy, guys!


	13. the heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for everyone who wanted SMUT *finger guns* i got you

Jaehyun receives ‘ _it started’_ text from Taeyong on Friday close to midnight. At first he feels panic babbling somewhere in his stomach, threatening to rise and make him puke out of nerves, but he quickly takes control of his nerves. With surprising efficiency he gathered three big bags filled with various containers of cooked meals that just need to be heated and water bottles. The day when Taeyong told him about upcoming heat Jaehyun prepared everything, going to the market for water bottles and calling food delivery company for meals to be ready. Although he and omega are not fully back to how they usually are, Jung still hoped that Taeyong would choose him over spending his heat alone.

Alpha drives way too fast and probably breaks few rules for speeding, but he’s anxious to see Taeyong. He talked with Dr.Kim about heats and how they work around destined mates and what he heard makes him want to reach his omega in the fastest way possible. Dr.Kim made it clear that Taeyong would have troubles without Jaehyun there to help him through his heat, so alpha prayed to gods that Taeyong won’t be so prideful and stubborn and will let him in. Jaehyun also received a quick summary of what he should do and, to his endless embarrassment, a talk about mating bites. He knows for sure that this is a theme that none of them are ready to discuss, it’s way too early for that kind of commitment. Dr.Kim also gave him some advices on how to keep control of raging hormones, ignoring Jaehyun’s burning face. It felt like he was going through an awkward sex and condoms talk with his parents all over again. Just a thought of Taeyong in heat made his toes curl in anticipation; he’d by lying to say that he didn’t think about it. He did, he thought about it so much in the last days that work was pushed to the background, all his thoughts occupied with pictures of Taeyong. Jaehyun imagined his beautiful omega whining, writhing, asking for him and that was enough for alpha to rush to a certain building, not minding passing people. Jaehyun knocks way too loudly on the door and when no one answers him in next three seconds, alpha starts banging. His hand freezes in the air, when door opens and reveals tired looking Taeyong. Omega is wearing a shirt at least two sizes big that barely holds itself on his shoulders and light blue shorts. He’s rubbing his eyes and looks ready to fall asleep in any minute.

‘I took a pill,’ he says instead of greeting, moving away so Jaehyun can come in. ‘It made me a bit sleepy, but it’s for the best, I will be fully awake by the time heat starts for real. Now it’s at its lowest.’

‘How do you feel?’ Jaehyun asks, not moving from the corridor.

‘I’ve horrible nausea. And my skin is too sensitive, everything itches. First wave should hit in an hour.’ Taeyong sounds like he’s barely getting words out of his mouth. ‘You mentioned food containers last time. Do you have them? Sichengie is staying with his friends till my heat passes.’

‘I have them in my car,’ Jung replies and says nothing more.

Taeyong rises on eyebrow, silently asking him why didn’t he bring them up. Jaehyun took a deep breath and stared at boy in front of him. God, why is it so hard to just ask him to come with him? Why the fear of rejection paralyzes him?

‘Taeyong,’ he starts and even though he wanted to say everything in an even tone, alpha ends up rambling: ‘I would like to take you back to my home. You didn’t reply, but I hope you made your decision regarding how you want to spend your heat. With me or not, I think it’s better if you spend it-’

‘In your home with you?’ Taeyong finishes for him, leaning on the wall.

Jaehyun stiffly nods. He doesn’t know how he will bear rejection, but it’s not about him, so Jung hastily adds: ‘But of course it’s totally up to you. I will respect any decision you make. I know I was very harsh-’

‘Jaehyun,’ Taeyong interrupts, shaking his head. There’s a small smile on his lips and it gives alpha hope. ‘We will return to this talk later. My brain is not in the position to talk seriously about such an important issue. But for now… yes. I will go with you to your home.’

Jung’s heart skips a beat, but he doesn’t let get excited. ‘You mean you will just come to my home or you will let me spend your heat with you?’

‘Yes to both.’

Taeyong watches as understanding lights up in alpha’s eyes, as his features finally break their stoic mask of seriousness and instead show his excitement. It’s a beautiful thing to witness - Jaehyun’s sincere smile full of happiness. Taeyong can only smile back, not being able to show much more enthusiasm because of the way his body feels dead on his feet due to pills. Jaehyun seems to get it and helps him come outside, letting omega fully lean on him for support. They don’t say much, silence is filled with Jaehyun talking about what food he’s gotten till they reach his car.

‘Your apartment is not far from here, right?’ Taeyong asks, checking backseat for promised bags full of food and throwing his backpack there. ‘Wow, that’s a lot.’

‘My apartment is twenty minutes away, but we’re not going there,’ alpha replies and bites his lip when Taeyong looking at him questioningly. ‘I’m taking you to my real home.’

This sentence brings puzzled expression on Lee’s face, but alpha doesn’t elaborate, so he lets it slide. At this point Taeyong doesn’t really care where they are going to stay, general discomfort in his body taking all of his attention. He shifts and frowns at the way his stomach tightens and then relaxes when another crump starts. It’s not new to him and one would think that he can be used to it by now, but it still hurts and still makes omega want to curse everyone above for this pain. Suddenly warm hand places itself on his stomach. Jaehyun doesn’t exactly caress, but he does move his palm in little circles, hoping it will somehow help. It doesn’t really, but the sentiment is very much appreciated from Taeyong’s side, who smiles at alpha.

‘Have you eaten?’ Jaehyun asks, checking his watch. ‘You said it’ll start in an hour, I suggest we heat up something for you when we get there-’

‘I had dinner,’ Taeyong interrupts and yawns, covering his mouth with a hand. ‘I just want to sleep, mostly.’

Omega looks so fragile that Jaehyun speeds up and they arrive to his grandparents’ house much faster. The whole idea to bring Taeyong here didn’t appear out of the blue; it’s more like it seemed as the only rational option. Jaehyun didn’t want to bring his mate to his own apartment, where he still held memories of Chenle. He wanted to bring Taeyong to a place that is his real home, a place where everything sings to his heart with familiarity. A place that reminds Jaehyun of Taeyong’s scent. Something so personal as this house was not shown to anyone, but alpha didn’t think he’d find a better place to spend heat with his mate. Taeyong, of course, doesn’t know the significance of this gesture, but Jaehyun will tell him later. He has a lot of things to tell. It’s close to one a.m., and Taeyong doesn’t really look around when they enter the house, just follows Jaehyun like a lost puppy to a spacious guest room and falls asleep almost immediately. Jaehyun stays up for ten more minutes, organizing all bags into the fridge and making sure to bring another set of bedsheets to the room. He lays close to Taeyong and doesn’t fall asleep, knowing that soon enough he’ll have to wake up anyway. And he’s right, because approximately after forty minutes of peaceful sleep, Taeyong starts shuffling and whining. He wakes and holds for Jaehyun like he’s his lifeline, looking up at him with teary eyes. It breaks alpha’s heart. Dr.Kim told him that first wave of heat is the most painful one and he needs to take the edge of pain off and then other waves will be less intense. He first jerks Taeyong off, making him cum quickly. Not only it doesn’t make Lee feel better, but his whimpering and crying intensifies. At first wave orgasms don’t really bring any pleasure and when alpha fingers him and Taeyong cums again, Jaehyun knows that these tears do not mean pleasure. They mean pain and it’s horrible to watch. Only after the the third orgasm does Taeyong calm down, exhausted and sweaty. He says nothing when Jaehyun cleans him up and stays silent when alpha offers him water.

‘Wanna shower? Or I can run a bath for you,’ Jaehyun says, pushing sweaty locks away from Taeyong’s forehead. ‘Do you want to eat? Talk to me, sweetheart, please. How are you feeling?’

‘A bit better,’ omega whispers and touches his own forehead. ‘Fever went down. We took the edge off. I’d really like to take a shower now and then just sleep.’

At this point Jaehyun is ready to do anything for Taeyong; omega could have asked for a moon and he’d find a way to pull it down for this boy. There’s absolutely nothing sexual when both of them shower, even when Lee clings to alpha, making him do all the work. Jaehyun quickly dries him off, brings up omega’s backpack with his packed clothes and then just waits for Taeyong to come back to bed. With still wet hair and only sweatpants on, Taeyong looks impossibly handsome; it’s like he’s fresh out from Jaehyun’s dream. Alpha moves, thinking that maybe he’ll want space, but Taeyong seeks his warmth and cuddles close, smiling a bit.

‘Good?’ Jaehyun asks, feeling his forehead. It’s warm, but not hot as it was before.

Taeyong nods and buries his nose in Jaehyun’s chest, hugging him. ‘Perfect,’ he mutters and both of them fall asleep.

It’s around six a.m, when Taeyong wakes up due to his stomach rumbling. He’s hungry and not in a way when you can ignore it; his stomach calls for his immediate attention and omega sighs, opening his eyes. He’s lying in the cocoon of Jaehyun’s arms, alpha still sleeping soundly. With a smile Taeyong extracts his right arms and gently presses on his mate’s forehead, trying to make frown disappear; alpha is frowning even in his sleep. Lee tries to carefully reattach Jaehyun’s limbs from his waist, but the second he moves alpha wakes, tightening his hold.

‘What’s wrong,’ he mutters into Taeyong’s ear.

His sleepy voice is hoarse and lower than usual, sending pleasant tingles down omega’s spine. Taeyong smiles and taps on Jaehyun’s chest two times, waiting for him to open his eyes. Jaehyun looks adorably disheveled, hair sticking to all sides, with pillow marks on one side of his cheek. It makes Taeyong think of unfamiliar domesticity that was unknown to both of them.

‘I’ll go and eat something, you can sleep,’ omega whispers, staring at the way Jaehyun’s mind registers his words and alpha suddenly is wide awake. ‘It’s okay, you should sleep, it’s too early.’

‘How are you feeling?’ Jaehyun probably doesn’t realize it, but his hand slides from Taeyong’s waist to his hips and a bit lower.

His eyes are filled with worry and it takes every will power that Taeyong has not to smother this man in front of him with kisses. ‘I’m okay,’ he answers.

And it’s true, mostly. Fever is gone and aside from slight pain in the back and hunger, he doesn’t feel any discomfort. He knows it’s not going to last for long, but until slick is not pooling out of him uncontrollably, Taeyong has a mission to have a good breakfast. He moves and almost sighs in bliss, when Jaehyun stops him to plant a light kiss on his temple before sitting up with him. They move in silence and in sync like they have woken up next to each other many times before; casual intimacy that both of them display, these fleeting touches when they pass each other make omega’s heart jump out of the ribcage. Happiness bubbles in him and he skips to the kitchen, finally looking around. Now in the morning light he sees house more clearly and everything inside it, starting from old but not rusty furniture and ending with many photos scattered along the walls, looks incredibly cozy. Taeyong rummages through containers, finds those that are labeled with ‘for breakfast’ and without even looking what’s inside just puts them in a microwave. He spends next five minutes learning where everything is in the kitchen and looking out of the window to a beautiful garden, when Jaehyun enters the kitchen. Without skipping a beat he walks to Taeyong and omega didn’t even get to finish saying ‘good morning’, when he’s being pulled into a kiss. The kind of kiss that weakens his pulse, wakes all butterflies. The kind of kiss that only Jaehyun can give to him. By the end of it Taeyong is left dizzy, blinking slowly and staring at alpha with stars in his eyes. He feels heat pooling and licks his lips absentmindedly, leaning closer to alpha.

‘Breakfast first,’ Jaehyun says sternly, but there are devils in his eyes, holding a promise of something better to come and Taeyong obeys.

Jaehyun unfolds the mystery of who this house belongs to during their breakfast. Taeyong can’t even put into words or somehow describe what he’s feeling, when alpha shares how important this house is for him and what it means; when he talks about his grandparents Jaehyun changes, his voice turns softer and gaze turns wishful, which tugs at omega’s heart. He looks around and can feel that love etched into the walls of the home, smiling when Jaehyun talks about his happiest memories here.

‘This is what your scent reminds me of,’ Jung says, when they’re done. ‘When I first touched you, my first thought was about this place. Your scent brought me back here, to the times when grandad made me that pink lemonade. Your scent reminds me of home.’

Jaehyun’s looking straight at him, no hesitance, no shame. He says it and directly stares into Taeyong’s eyes, sending him a message that it’s real, no lies here. And Taeyong didn’t stand a chance. He swallows and his walls break down. He grips Jaehyun’s hand and doesn’t protest when alpha pulls him close, holding him, cradling him in his arms.

‘You mean so much, Taeyong, I’m sorry if I made you feel like you don’t deserve to be fought over, when you are,’ Jaehyun whispers, peppering omega’s face with kisses. ‘You were right and I _will_ put in effort and I _will_ fight for you. I promise.’

Taeyong doesn’t know who was the one who initiated the kiss, but it doesn’t matter. Jaehyun swallows his moans, holds him so tight that it’ll leave bruises and it’s a _heaven_ for Taeyong. The more they touch and kiss, the more his sensitive skin starts buzzing with anticipation and desire, the louder his moans gets. Jaehyun leans back and checks him over; through the heat of Taeyong’s skin, through touch receptors he feels the change in omega’s scent. It’s sweeter, almost sugary and it clouds alpha’s head.

‘Now?’ Jaehyun rasps and his hands slide lower, gripping omega’s buttocks. Taeyong nods and both of them can feel his hard member between their bodies. ‘Bedroom?’

Another nod and Jaehyun lifts Taeyong, smiling at the little scream he gets in returns and carries him to the bedroom. Taeyong laughs when he gets thrown onto the bed, but this laughter quickly dies down when Jaehyun takes off his t-shirt, standing with his toned and sculpted body in front of Taeyong’s eyes. Atmosphere changes in seconds: from affectionate in the kitchen to full of hunger in the bedroom. Taeyong swallows, when Jaehyun slowly steps closer to the edge of the bed. Alpha stops and stares, his eyes burning holes.

‘Strip for me,’ he says, or better, _orders_.

There’s a command in his voice, one that Taeyong can’t and doesn’t want to ignore. He didn’t put t-shirt on to sleep, so he quickly gets rid of sweatpants, hesitating when it comes to his underwear but then throwing it to the floor too. He lays absolutely naked, all open to alpha’s hungry eyes. There’s such a shift in the room, Jaehyun’s scent getting more potent, his eyes turning dark. Taeyong just stares back, loving the stark contrast between clothed Jaehyun and his naked self. Alpha leans and grabs Taeyong’s ankle, yanking omega closer to the edge.

‘You look…’ he lets his eyes rave from the bottom to the top and then rises Taeyong’s ankle to his face to lick a long stripe on it. ‘And you _smell_ …absolutely delicious.’

Taeyong’s hypnotized by the glint in Jaehyun’s eyes: ‘How delicious?’

Jaehyun smirks and starts licking and kissing all over his leg, slowly going upwards. ‘Delicious in a way that makes me want to keep you busy here in my bed for many, _many_ hours.’

Taeyong’s breath hitches as Jaehyun alternates between careful bites and kitten licks. Alpha lavishes his knee with attention and goes higher, sticking his teeth into the meat of omega’s thigh, making him jump. Taeyong gasps and lets out short moans, his breathing picking up as Jaehyun gets closer and closer to his aching member. His dick curves onto his stomach, precome glistening at the tip, asking for attention. Taeyong’s milky skin turns red and purple under Jaehyun’s insistent teeth and his moans grow louder in volume. Jaehyun is solely focused on his task and looks up at Taeyong only when he’s face to face with his aching member.

‘Please,’ omega whispers, shivering.

Jaehyun blows hot air on Taeyong’s dick, holding his hips from bucking up. To Taeyong’s utter confusion and disappointment, Jaehyun goes back and starts doing the same with another leg, ignoring omega’s groans of dissatisfaction. Jung didn’t voice it, but Taeyong _knows_ that he’s not allowed to touch himself. He feels temperature of his body rising and his minds starts clouding, so all restrictions go to hell. His hand moves to his groin, wanting to relieve himself a bit, but alpha catches his wrist in mid-air. Everything inside Taeyong freezes from the glare he receives.

‘Be a good omega,’ Jaehyun says, griping his wrist. ‘Good omegas don’t touch themselves.’

Taeyong grits his teeth but listens, nodding. Satisfied, Jaehyun lets go off his wrist and continues marking his thigh, apparently deaf to Taeyong’s moans. Lee feels slick pool out of him on the bedsheet. It makes him suddenly shy and he groans in embarrassment, covering his face with hands. There’s a hitch of breath and then lowest groan he ever heard escapes Jaehyun and curiosity wins shame, so Taeyong uncovers his face to see what’s going on. Jaehyun is staring down and Taeyong realizes that alpha is staring at the way slick is running down his thighs. He has half of mind to pull his legs together, when -

‘ _God, it’s so fucking hot, Taeyong._ ’

And then his mouth is enveloping Taeyong’s dick and all thoughts die in omega’s head. Moan he lets out is almost inaudible, like he didn’t pull enough air in and now chokes it out. He hiccups, when Jaehyun adds his teeth a bit to the mix, just lightly grazing - enough to drive Taeyong crazy. Omega tries his best not to buck into the hot cavern, but temptation is too strong and when he does move his hips up, he receives a sharp slap on his thigh that jerks his entire body upwards.

‘Behave,’ Jaehyun orders in this strict tone and it makes Taeyong both to obey and disobey at the same time.

Taeyong’s been hard since the kitchen and he’s too wound up by bites and kisses on the legs to hold on his orgasm. He’s savoring every lick, every move of Jaehyun’s tongue and when Jung swallows him whole, when Taeyong’s dick nudges back of his throat, Lee howls, his head slamming back into the pillow. The starburst of sensations makes him tremble and he tries, tries to stall off his orgasm, but when Jaehyun pulls back from his dick to lick his recently shaved area of groin and then fondles his balls, Taeyong gives up and lets orgasm wash him over. He cums without giving any warning and screams, when Jaehyun sucks him in, swallowing everything. Taeyong’s thighs shake as he calms down, bedsheet underneath him all soaked from all the slick. He moves and watches with hooded eyes as Jaehyun licks his lips, staring down at him. Alpha has some of the semen on his cheek and Taeyong motions for him to come closer. To his surprise Jaehyun obliges, sliding his body on top of his and getting face to face. Taeyong rises a little and licks that semen, feeling twitch of Jaehyun’s cock next to his jutting out hip bone. He’s breathing hard, but Jaehyun is right there and not to kiss him right now is equal to a crime. Taeyong slots their lips together and shudders at his own taste on alpha’s tongue, on a dirty way Jaehyun explores his mouth, not letting Taeyong take reins into his hands even once.

‘Many, many hours, you said?’ He asks, his heart in his throat.

Jaehyun’s eyes darken, orbs almost completely turning black. ‘We’re just starting.’

Taeyong swallows. Jaehyun’s lips are puffy, shiny with spit and precome and the image is so seductive that omega’s pulse fastens. There’s insatiable hunger in alpha’s eyes and answering desire awakens in Taeyong. Alpha launches on his neck with an assault and laves into his collarbones. Omega doesn’t want to stay passive, his hands reach out and grab anything he can grab: shoulders, biceps, torso, hips. His nails dig into Jaehyun’s skin, leaving moon like marks on it and Taeyong relishes in this, loving the idea of alpha also being marked as his.

‘I’ve let it go once,’ Jaehyun suddenly says, stopping his kisses and gripping Taeyong’s chin between his fingers. ‘But if you cum again without my permission, I’ll punish you. Understood?’

Taeyong couldn’t have looked away even if he tried. Fire burns through him at that stare and his whole body tenses. He nods and Jaehyun smirks, leaning closer and leaving sweet kiss on his lips. Alpha’s eyes flicker all over his face and then he smiles - so open and sincere that Taeyong’s heart stops - rising his hand to caress his mate’s face.

‘ _My omega_ ,’ Jaehyun whispers and the way he says it, with such an awe and reverence, to Taeyong it’s better than any compliments. ‘My sweet, sweet omega.’

Taeyong’s mouth falls open when Jaehyun pushes two fingers against his lips. He wets them with his saliva and bites a little on the pads of the fingers, teasing. Jaehyun smirks and pulls his fingers out, immediately gliding them along the curve of omega’s ass. Taeyong squirms, not being able to move much as alpha is pinning him to the bed with his own body. Without any warning Jaehyun slides both of the fingers in, grinning when Taeyong moans brokenly. Jung starts moving his fingers in a fast pace and when tell-tale sign of Taeyong’s wetness makes itself known - a squelching sound of slick - he growls right into boy’s ear.

‘So wet,’ he whispers and Taeyong nods frantically, gripping alpha’s shoulders.

It feels so good, Taeyong presses hips down and Jaehyun presses deeper - he flicks at his prostate and Taeyong rears up in shock. Jung leans back from him, sitting up and omega whines loudly at the loss of skin to skin contact, making grabby hands. Jaehyun pushes him up too, making Taeyong straddle his thighs. Slick coming from Lee’s hole pools down and wets Jaehyun’s shorts. Alpha curses, muttering how fucking hot it is, and Taeyong writhes, bucks his hips, praise sending pleasant shivers down his back. Jaehyun adds another finger and his fingers are longer and thicker than Taeyong’s, they feel incredible inside of him, but it’s not what he wants.

‘Take them off,’ Taeyong asks, motioning to the shorts.

A slap that resonated through a whole room was landed on his left asscheek and Taeyong keens, back arching. ‘You don’t command here,’ Jaehyun says and then adds in a fake concerned tone: ‘Why do you want these shorts off?’ This question is so incredulous to Taeyong that it probably translates to his facial expression, because alpha chuckles, slowing pace of his fingers. ‘You think you’ll get my cock?’

The thought of _not_ getting Jaehyun’s cock in him makes Taeyong inhale sharply and whimper. ‘Yes..’

‘How confident of you,’ Jaehyun snorts and picks up his speed, his fingers going in and out, squelching sound intensifying. ‘Think you deserve it?’

Taeyong can’t concentrate: fingers inside of him and constant friction he gets from Jaehyun’s abs mess with his head and when alpha leans and sucks a hickey on his neck, omega loses all string of conversation. Heat spreads all over his body and his toes curl. Jaehyun is relentless, he keeps on pressing on his prostate and Taeyong feels encompassed; Jaehyun is all he can see and feel. Omega sinks deeper and deeper into the pleasure, not holding in his moans, while alpha continues to leave hickeys everywhere he can reach. Jung unwraps one hand around Taeyong’s torso and instead pinches his nipple. Without any support Taeyong falls back on the bedsheets and it’s uncomfortable as they’re wet and he’s sweaty, but his focus is only on the singing pleasure in his veins.

‘C-close,’ he mumbles, eyes shut. ‘Please..’

‘Go ahead, baby,’ Jaehyun says and Taeyong is both surprised and relieved that he’s been given permission that easily.

He came with a shout of alpha’s name on his lips, his body tensing and trembling. Fingers inside him disappear, making him feel empty and loss feels uneasy. His mouth waters and heart beats like a drum in his ears. Taeyong hears rustling of clothes and then Jaehyun spreads his legs. Omega doesn’t open his eyes, but feels Jaehyun’s fingers around his thighs, spreading slick on his skin. If he opened his eyes, he would have seen how Jaehyun then puts this fingers into his mouth, savoring the taste.

‘Good?’ Jaehyun asks, checking in.

‘Fucking fantastic,’ Taeyong lets out and finally opens his eyes.

Jaehyun is looming over him and Taeyong’s breath hitches as he feels alpha’s cock nudging between his ass. He feels boneless from two orgasms, but this action makes him tense. Jung’s hand runs over his body, brushes his nipples and settles on the pit of his stomach. His next words leave Taeyong speechless:

_‘Want to see this pretty stomach bulging with my cock.’_

Taeyong starts frantically heaving as he watches Jaehyun put a condom on. _This is real._ Nothing is hurried as Jaehyun slides just a tip in - both of them let out deep groans and alpha pauses, leaning in to brush his lips over Taeyong’s forehead. This suddenly sweet gesture amongst heat makes omega’s heart swell and he beams at his alpha, happiness reflected in his eyes. Jaehyun doesn’t smile back, only stares at him in wonder, in _i can’t believe we are here_ gaze and Taeyong can relate, everything feels like a dream. But then Jaehyun pushes deeper and he’s thick and long and stretches Taeyong’s wall in a deliciously slow drag. Taeyong can’t even moan anymore, he just inhales and exhales loudly, throat raw. He squeezes bedsheets between his fingers and arches his back, feeling every ridge of his mate’s cock against his nerves.

‘Oh my god,’ Taeyong lets out, trying to stay afloat. ‘My- _fuck_.’

Taeyong dreamed about this, but reality is so much better. He’s never felt so full and the feeling is _euphoric_. Not moving, Jaehyun’s filled him to the brim, his balls touching Taeyong’s ass and it’s _everything_. Taeyong breathes heavily and gets on his elbows to see better. Jaehyun looks absolutely entranced, looking down at where their bodies joined and Taeyong doesn’t understand at first, but when alpha takes his hand and puts it on his stomach-

‘Holy-’ Taeyong starts and gets cut off, because Jaehyun experimentally thrusts.

‘Look at that,’ Jaehyun says taunting. His fingers run down formed bulge on Taeyong’s stomach because of his dick. ‘You look so fucking good full of my cock, baby.’

It’s electrifying. Taeyong can’t form words, he falls into the space of pleasure easily, knowing that Jaehyun will take care of him in the best way possible. After few shallow thrusts Jaehyun starts thrusting for real, hard and steady, abusing omega’s prostate every single time. Taeyong hikes up higher and higher on bed until his head bangs on the headboard. He screams, shouts mantra of Jaehyun’s name again and again until his voice turns hoarse and almost disappears. The amount of slick Taeyong produces makes the slide easy, his scent penetrates air between them, whole rooms smells like the most exotic and sweet combination of strawberry and leather. Jaehyun fucks into him with vigor, bottom lip between his teeth, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Taeyong knows he can cum like this, untouched, but he tries to put it off, tries to slow down a growing wave of pleasure. He wants to signal alpha, to let him know that he’s going to cum again - _this heat be damned_ \- and it’s too soon, but then Jaehyun grips his hips and slams them down, making omega meet his thrusts and it rips out a shout of pure and sheer pleasure from Taeyong.

‘Fuck, alpha,’ Taeyong whimpers and moves his hands to grip Jaehyun’s forearms. ‘I-’

‘You what?’ Jaehyun slides out and a sound that leaves Taeyong’s mouth is too embarrassing. Emptiness that alpha left is so shocking and judging by Jaehyun’s smug grin he knows it very well. ‘Speak, omega. You know you should use your words.’

Lee wets his lips and clears his throat, trying to succumb all of his thoughts. It’s hard when it feels like Jaehyun fucked his brains out, but he tries nevertheless. What comes out is short and pained ‘ _please come back_ ’ and begging ‘ _fuck me, alpha_ ’. Jaehyun slides inside but doesn’t move, leaning in and nosing into Taeyong’s collarbone. It’s a pause in fucking that makes Lee look down. They didn’t mention mating bites, both knowing that it’s way too soon for that, but Taeyong sees it in Jaehyun’s eyes. Sees the way alpha is eyeing his neck like he wants nothing more than to sink his teeth and leave a claim. One that will bind Taeyong to him. One that will make them real mates. Raw desire in Jaehyun’s eyes aches in Taeyong’s heart - _he wants it too_ \- and he slides his hands up until he’s circling alpha’s neck with his hands, his thumbs brushing his jawline.

‘Not now,’ he whispers and Jaehyun’s eyes focus from his neck to his face. J

aehyun swallows, forearms trembling from effort of keeping himself up and not moving inside of omega. ‘Someday?’ He asks and hope in his voice is too obvious, too apparent that for a second alpha is afraid of showing his vulnerability.

‘Someday,’ Taeyong agrees.

They stare at each other for too long. Taeyong can’t stand it, his heart aches too much with thoughts of all the possibilities, of what they _can_ be, of future _together_ ; omega rises, needing to break this mood, not knowing what to do with this tenderness, so he whispers right into Jaehyun’s mouth: ‘But now - _fuck me, alpha_.’

Jaehyun blinks and then rears back before slamming so hard, Taeyong howls. It’s beautiful, the way their bodies move together, Jaehyun’s cock hitting deepest places in him, his pace not letting Taeyong take a breath. Full force of this thrusts brings tears to omega’s eyes, his nerves going overdrive. Jaehyun mutters obscenities, tells him how good he feels, how perfect he looks and praise makes Taeyong glow brighter than anything else. This time orgasm doesn’t come in waves; it ripples through him like an earthquake. Taeyong silently screams, eyes lolling to the back of his head, back arching impossibly. He shudders through aftershocks and then starts crying for real, when alpha starts fucking into him again after giving him a short pause.

‘Jaehyun-’ Taeyong starts and screams, when his mate takes his flaccid coke into his hand. ‘Fuck, no, too mu-’

‘Will you take my knot, omega?’ Jaehyun asks, panting.

And then Taeyong feels it. The base of Jaehyun’s cock is swollen and it makes omega’s mouth salivate. He’s thorn between wanting to take a knot, even _needing_ it - but after third orgasm he’s too sensitive, it’s painful and-

‘Wanna knot you,’ Jaehyun let outs and groans, when Taeyong accidentally clenches around him. ‘ _Fuck_. Wanna fill you up to the brim, with my knot, my cum, claim you as mine.’ Alpha looks down and his cock twitches at the sight of white semen on Taeyong’s stomach and chest and his mouth filter disappears. ‘God, look at _that_. You’re mine, Taeyong. Mine to love, mine to cherish, mine fuck, mine to knot. My mate, _mine_.’

Everything inside omega sets free at these words. The sweet taste of _belonging_ makes him dizzy and he nods, whispers ‘ _yes yes yes_ ’ all over again, too far gone to care. He asks Jaehyun to knot him and turns and gets on all fours, presenting himself to the alpha. This position has never been Taeyong’s favorite, but he’s willing to do anything for Jaehyun. Because with Jaehyun being bent over like that doesn’t feel belittling. It’s excruciating, so naked and exposed to alpha’s eyes that Taeyong’s nerve endings stand up on high alert. He almost wants to say something, probably something very dumb, but then he hears Jaehyun’s low ‘ _fuck_ ’ and then he’s full again. Jaehyun thrusts shallowly and his groans get louder. Taeyong tries to blink away the tears clouding his vision and can only let himself be taken, whimpering quietly from overstimulation. His own member is back to active state, but it also brings more pain than pleasure and Taeyong swallows back his cries, when Jaehyun’s pace turns erratic. He’s taken a knot only once before, or better he tried to take a knot but they stopped halfway because it was too painful and didn’t feel right at all, so nervousness settles in his stomach.

‘My god,’ Taeyong keens, when he can feel his hole beginning to stretch to accommodate something bigger. Panic rises in his chest. ‘I- oh god, Jaehyun-’

‘Shh, it’s okay,’ Jaehyun leans and they’re chest to back, skin touching everywhere. ‘Ive got you, Taeyong, it’s okay.’

‘Fucking hell,’ Taeyong clenches bedsheets with his fists and inside of him everything swells tighter, widening and it’s painful but also _so fucking good_ -

‘I can stop,’ Jaehyun suddenly says through gritted teeth. ‘If it hurts that much, I can pull out-’

‘No! Go on, it’s just-’ Taeyong shouts when Jaehyun moves, inserting more of knot into him. ‘ _God_ , Jaehyun.’

‘Deep breath,’ alpha instructs and his one hand goes down, settling on Taeyong’s stomach, caressing it lightly. ‘I’ve got you, Taeyong, I promise it’s okay. C’mon, sweetheart, deep breath.’

Taeyong inhales and slowly exhales. He repeats it two times and on a next inhale Jaehyun pushes to the halt, locking both of them together. It’s nothing like he’s ever felt before, he never was so full and it’s both _too much_ and _just right._ Emotions in disarray, Taeyong lets out a choked sob, trembling and squeezing Jaehyun’s member tighter.

‘Fucking shit,’ Jaehyun hisses and slowly starts moving, tiny thrusts that break Taeyong down. Omega’s hands give in and he almost falls face down on bed, but Jaehyun’s arm catch him, bringing him upwards. ‘Easy, sweetheart, easy. I’m here, I’ve got you.’

In this position Jaehyun’s cock is even deeper in Taeyong, so deep that Taeyong swears he feels him in his throat. He chokes on air when Jaehyun starts thrusting and cries silently, overwhelmed with all of the emotions and feelings. Jaehyun grabs his chin and turns to the side, so he can look at his mate’s face. He’s worried when he sees tears and almost stops, but then Taeyong pushes back on his cock in a silent command to keep going. So Jaehun does, he moves quicker, not being able to pull out because of the knot, but still moving it inside. For Taeyong it lasts for hours and when he orgasms, it’s a dry orgasm, forced violently from his body. Taeyong shouts so loud, thought that someone may hear them appears in his mind. Jaehyun curses at the way everything tightens around his cock and he follows Taeyong’s lead, emptying his load into the condom. Jaehyun growls, low and hot, into omega’s ears as he cums, bucking his hips into Taeyong without realizing. Utterly spent, Taeyong melts into a puddle in Jaehyun’s arms, leaning fully on him. It feels like soul has left him along with all powers. Jaehyun curses and bites on omega’s shoulder afterwards, breathing heavily. He moves, supporting Taeyong’s weight and carefully lays on his right side, making Taeyong lay with him.

‘Shhh,’ he whispers, moving and settling so both of them will be comfortable. ‘You did so good, sweetheart. Knot will shrink down in twenty minutes or so.’

Taeyong doesn’t really register this information, more focused on calming down. The pleasure of a knot was agonizing, but god, nothing ever felt like it before. Being locked with Jaehyun like this makes him deliriously happy and satisfied, so his sobs die down quickly enough.

‘Are you okay?’ Jaehyun asks quietly, tightening his hold on him.

Taeyong nods and then remembers alphas words about speaking, so he voices it out loud: ‘Yes.’

‘You did so well,’ alpha repeats and Taeyong blushes. ‘You’ve taken me so good, I’m proud of you.’

Taeyong doesn’t say anything on this, just lays his hands on top of Jaehyun’s on his stomach. To his shock and surprise he does feel the bulge on it from alpha’s cock and this revelation makes him hot. They bask in each other’s presence and warmth for the entirety of time till Jaehyun’s knot shrinks to a normal size. Alpha pulls out and goes to get rid off the condom, but without a sturdy chest pressed to his back omega whines in distress.

‘I’m here, I’m here,’ Jaehyun quickly take this previous place and hugs Taeyong tightly. ‘Sorry, I won’t go away, I’m here.’

Taeyong sniffles and gets even closer to alpha. He had enough time to think everything over and in his post-orgasmic state, he also doesn’t have any filter, so words are out of his mouth before he even registers them: ‘You said I’m yours.’

Jaehyun first tenses and then relaxes, placing small kiss on Taeyong’s temple. ‘You are.’

There’s a beat of silence and then Taeyong confesses in a shy whisper: ‘It was my first time taking a knot.’

Jaehyun exhales loudly and his fingers start drawing random patterns on omega’s skin. ‘You should have told me this before. I would have been…gentler. Better.’

‘You were perfect,’ Taeyong says firmly, not wanting alpha to question himself or feel bad. ‘It was perfect.’

Having a knot during heat does reduce its’ symptoms and days of it - Taeyong knew it, but still went against being knotted with just a random dude, not wanting a repetition of what happened last time. If it weren’t for Jaehyun’s knot, he’d still be in delirious state, burning up. But now he’s much calmer, heat reduced from scorching fire to a low buzz under his skin that can easily be ignored. Jaehyun’s hands pull Taeyong even closer to him and omega closes his eyes, loving the skin to skin contact.

‘Are you still mad at me?’ Alpha questions, fear evident in his tone.

Taeyong pushes sheets that tangled between his legs down. Is he mad? No. Is he upset still? Yes. Instead of answering Taeyong fully turns to the left side, facing alpha. Jaehyun is staring at him, unblinking, waiting for his reply and holds his breath. Air between them heats with tension but Taeyong breaks it easily, leaning and leaving sweet kiss on Jaehyun’s lips.

‘You said it yourself that being destined mates doesn’t exactly mean definite happy ending. If we want it - happy ending, I mean, - we both need to work for it. Just put in work too and everything will be fine.’

Jaehyun smiles and brings Taeyong’s hand to his lips, kissing it. ‘I said I’ll fight for you. I don’t break my promises.’

‘You better not,’ omega says, his playful side returning as biological needs are sated. For now.

‘Food?’ Jaehyun asks and Taeyong’s stomach rumbles. ‘Or shower first?’

Taeyong stands, unashamed of his nudity, and walks towards the bathroom. He turns and stares at Jaehyun, his insides turning into mush as he sees alpha looking at him like he’s an art. At least that’s what Jaehyun called him that time they hooked up in his car. Memories of that night, of what they did just know catch up with omega and he blushes, biting his lower lip.

‘Come with me,’ he says, looking at alpha.

Jaehyun doesn’t protest and follows him to the shower stall that is wide enough to fit both of them. The contrast of alpha’s rough and domineering nature in bed with gentle and tending side here shakes Taeyong to the core. Jaehyun washes his body like it’s made out of finest porcelain, dropping kisses here and there, not leaving any patch of his skin unattended. Omega enjoys this attention, this sweet moment of being pampered and being taken care of. Deep inside he did have a fear that Jaehyun might look at him differently after they’d sex. For some reason in the beginning Taeyong saw alpha as being one of those, who get rush from the chase, but then lose interest once prey has been caught; he generally believed that alphas feel superior to those omegas that they have knotted. But every Jaehyun’s move tells another story. His kisses speak of love, his touches scream of affection and his grip says _i’m here_ and _you’re mine_. Taeyong’s heart is full when they finally come back to the bedroom and he’s afraid to speak, not wanting to ruin this moment. He stops next to the window, looking at red and pink roses in the garden. Jaehyun comes right behind him and wraps one arm loosely around his waist.

‘We can stay at the garden,’ he says. ‘First let’s eat and then we can spend all day there.’

‘I’d like that,’ Taeyong answers and smiles at a little kiss that’s been dropped on his shoulder.

It’s almost disgustingly domestic the way they spend next three hours. They eat, talk, clean, kiss. Jaehyun shows him everything inside the house, they walk around the garden and talk, talk and talk. Spending time with Jaehyun is almost too familiar; like they’ve known each other for a long time. Taeyong talks about his family, his funny times at school and university and in turn learns more about Jaehyun’s childhood. The bliss of it is disturbed by a phone call and Jaehyun looks extremely apologetic, showing their director id. ‘ _It’s okay_ ,’ Taeyong mouthes and goes back to the house, not wanting to disturb. He busies himself with changing bedsheets, when Jaehyun comes back, a frown on his face.

‘He needs me to work on budgets for the next year, it’s urgent,’ he says.

Taeyong doesn’t want to show how disappointed he is and also doesn’t want to act clingy. He fully understands who important work is, but his heat apparently thinks otherwise. Just as Jaehyun says that he’ll try to do everything very fast, Taeyong feels his underwear dampening because of the slick. Jaehyun must sense it, because he stops, rising his eyebrow in a silent question.

‘It’s okay, I think it’ll be rather mild,’ Taeyong says, stepping closer to the bed.

Jaehyun looks contemplating for few seconds but then his smirk grows and he asks Taeyong to come with him. Alpha takes him to a secluded room, obviously used for work only, as it has nothing but big table with laptop and three chairs inside. Taeyong doesn’t catch up with Jaehyun’s antics and continues to stand at the doors, even when his mate went ahead and sat in front of the laptop.

‘Come here,’ Jaehyun calls, but Taeyong shakes his head. ‘Why not?’

‘You’ll be working.’

‘And?’ Jaehyun smirks and it’s dangerous. ‘Tell me, Taeyong, have you ever tried cockwarming?’

Taeyong’s eyes widen as he stares at alpha. Idea makes him excited, but also a little bit nervous. He never tried this before, but again, he never tried knotting before too and it turned out to be _amazing_. Jaehyun reads his insecurities from facial expression and sighs, tapping his thigh as a sign for Taeyong to sit on it.

‘Remember what I told you last time?’ He asks, when Lee finally came closer, standing in front of him. ‘Trust me and I will always make you feel good. But if you don’t want to then we won’t try it. Are you against it?’

Taeyong chews on his bottom lip, fingers playing with the hem of his t-shirt. He shakes his head first and then adds verbally: ‘No, I want to try.’

Jaehyun smiles a little and opens his legs wider in silent invitation. Taeyong wants to sit, when alpha catches his wrist, shaking his head. ‘You need to work a little first, sweetheart,’ Jaehyun says and points at his non-erect cock.

Taeyong’s face burns with embarrassment, but his body tingles with desire. Jaehyun turns on his laptop, his attention away from omega. At first it confuses Taeyong, but then this situation only makes him wetter. He slowly sinks on his knees between alpha’s legs and reaches to the waistband of his shorts. Jaehyun doesn’t look at him, but rises his hips a little to help pull material lower. This difference in power, Jaehyun being engrossed in the work and Taeyong on his knees for him makes omega breathless. Alpha did not bother with wearing underwear and Taeyong’s mouth salivates at the sight of his thick girth in front of his eyes. Anticipation thrums in his veins and he leans in, comfortably leaning on Jaehyun’s thighs before taking his cock and guiding it between his lips. He licks the tip, then does the same down the shaft and smiles when alpha’s dick twitches a little in his hand. When Taeyong looks up, Jaehyun looks unbothered, typing something on a laptop and oh, _it’s on._ Suddenly getting a reaction from alpha becomes the main goal and Taeyong knows he’s good at giving head, have been told this many times, so he puts all of his skills to a good use. He swallows, bobs his head, spits and spreads saliva around the whole length with his hand. He gives attention to the balls, sucking each into his mouth, grinning when he hears soft curse from Jaehyun. It doesn’t take long before his cock is fully erect and alpha looks down at him with lust blown eyes.

‘You’re so damn good at this,’ Jaehyun mutters, biting his lip.

‘Boys like it when I give them head,’ Taeyong says, lips pulling into a smug grin as he sees fire burning in Jaehyun’s eyes.

‘ _Boys?_ ’ Alpha asks in a dangerous whisper and yanks his mate harshly upwards. ‘What boys?’

Taeyong knows he shouldn’t play with fire, but riling up Jaehyun makes him feel so powerful that he just can’t help it. His underwear is soaked and his dick is hard, but he still acts like he’s in control here, when he says: ‘Other boys before you. They always said that I give the best head.’

Jaehyun’s eyes turn into slits and he grips Taeyong’s hips, making boy turn around. In a second his shorts and underwear are gone and before Tayeong can react or even utter a word, he’s pulled harshly down, right on Jaehyun’s cock. Omega shouts from surprise and pain and then moans languidly, the feeling of being full turning his body into jelly. His hips rise on their own accord, but Jaehyun’s grip is too strong and alpha makes him sit still.

‘Keep on talking about other boys and you’ll get punished for real,’ his hot whisper burns Taeyong’s ear. ‘I will edge you on and then leave you, not filling you up, not giving you my knot. Do you want that?’

Taeyong writhes, whimpering. His hole is loose due to the heat, but Jaehyun’s shaft brushes against every nerve, ever corner inside of him. He wants to move, wants to either ride alpha or be bent over and fucked, but he realizes that neither’s going to happen and whines loudly: ‘No!’

‘Then don’t mention other boys, sweetheart,’ Jaehyun says and licks his earlobe. ‘Because from now on _I’m the only fucking boy_ …’ Alpha thrusts inside and Taeyong wails, gripping sides of the table for leverage. ‘.. who gets to do this. Who gets to see you like this.’

Taeyong’s seated right on Jaehyun’s thighs and leans fully on alpha, letting go of the table. Warm hands caress his chest, play with his nipples and then stop at the bottom of his stomach.

‘Full of my cock,’ Jaehyun muses and chuckles, when Taeyong tries to shimmy his hips for friction. ‘Do you like it?’

‘Y-yes,’ Taeyong stutters and groans, when Jaehyun sits upright, making him do the same.

‘Sit still until I finish this and then I’ll fuck you hard,’ alpha says and grins, feeling omega tremble from effort of keeping still. ‘My omega will listen to me, won’t he?’

Taeyong still has a hard time adjusting, but he nods, hands going behind his back to grip arms of the chair. ‘I’ll sit still.’

‘That’s my good omega,’ Jaehyun pecks him on the cheek and then starts working.

Taeyong tries to relax. He realizes that he has to sit like this for at least twenty to thirty minutes and being taut like he is now will not help him at all. He takes a deep breath and concentrates on a laptop screen, numbers all turning into a big mess for him. He’s ruining Jaehyun’s shorts again with his slick, but alpha doesn’t care; Jaehyun seems to think nothing is disgusting or embarrassing, apparently. Getting used to the feeling of being so full, but not being able to move is weird. Taeyong forcefully makes his brain think about other things, tries to find distraction and succeeds only after five agonizing minutes. Numbers on the screen start making sense and he observes the way Jaehyun fixes mistakes, learning something new. From time to time Jaehyun drops a kiss on his shoulder and every single time it makes Taeyong smile softly. Sitting on alpha’s cock, watching him work and receive kisses now and then is not how he thought his heat will go, but it’s the best reality ever. Taeyong automatically moves when he’s been sitting in the same way for too long, wanting to change the position and gasps, when pressure on his prostate suddenly increases. He clenches in response, making Jaehyun hiss.

‘Taeyong,’ he groans and omega stills. ‘Just few more minutes.’

‘I didn’t do it on purpose!’ Taeyong quickly says, afraid to get a punishment.

‘I know, baby, I know,’ Jaehyun soothes him, kissing his cheek. ‘You’ve been so good, just wait few more minutes till I finish.’

Praise relaxes Taeyong and he patiently waits, knowing that obedience will bring him pleasure in return. And he’s right, as soon as alpha sends fixed budget, he closes laptop and grips omega, nuzzling into his neck.

‘What do you want?’ Jaehyun asks, kissing his nape. ‘For being such a good omega, you deserve a reward.’

Taeyong doesn’t even have to think about it, answer already ready and sitting on his tongue: ‘Knot me.’

Jaehyun growls into his skin and bites on the juncture of his neck and shoulder, loving the shudder that went through omega’s body. ‘Want my knot?’

Instead of answering Taeyong twists his head and slots their lips together. Kiss is sloppy and full of spit, but it doesn’t matter when Jaehyun grips his hips and rises them a little before dropping them down. They quickly find a rhythm that fits both of them: Jaehyun thrusting upwards just in time when Taeyong sinks down. It’s rushed, hurried, sounds of skin slapping and their groans fill the room. Jaehyun’s lips are glued to Taeyong’s neck and shoulders, he alternates between biting and kissing and just sucking on a skin. He lets Taeyong touch himself and spurts him on, when omega starts moaning louder. But soon Lee’s pace falters, thighs quivering from constant pressure. Jung, of course, notices.

‘I’ve got you,’ Jaehyun whispers and pushes Taeyong off him. Omega whines in distress, hating that they’ve separated, but alpha quickly shushes him: ‘It’s okay, we need to get more comfortable, it’s okay, I’m here.’

Jaehyun doesn’t waist time and carries Taeyong back to the bedroom, gently laying him on the bed and entering in one swift motion. He immediately resumes the pace and this time it’s his hand that jerks Taeyong off, that milks him dry when he cums. Jaehyun’s name is the only sound that Taeyong can make and soon he’s shouting it at top of his lungs, when alpha knots him again. It’s still not easy, but not as painful as it was first time. Sensation already familiar and being stretched to the limit makes omega unexplainably happy and sated. Taeyong cries again but from pure pleasure this time, basking in Jaehyun’s compliments and his kisses.

‘Alpha,’ he calls and smiles when Jaehyun nips at his earlobe.

‘I’m here,’ Jaehyun says and proceeds to lay them on their sides. ‘I won’t let go.’

These words cause emotional dam to break within Taeyong and he sniffles, gripping Jaehyun’s hands. He thinks about their work, company policies, all the secrets that they have and it overwhelms him. He’s instantly reminded that this euphoria, this ecstatic feeling is not meant to last for long.Alpha’s arms suddenly from comforting turn to strangling, not allowing him to breathe and Taeyong tries to get away frantically, anxiety sky-rocketing.

‘No, Taeyong- you’ll hurt yourself!’ Jaehyun grips him tight and Taeyong hisses in pain, realizing that alpha is right: any drastic movements hurts because of the knot inside of him. ‘Please, you’ll hurt yourself, calm down.’

Breath coming out in pants, Taeyong buries his head into the pillow, hiding his tears there. He doesn’t know what happened, but his emotional mood swings are at their highest when in heat; Jaehyun probably also knows that, judging by the fact that he’s not very surprised.

‘It’s so hard,’ Taeyong mutters into the pillow. ‘Everything is _so hard_.’

Jaehyun tenses behind him. Omega doesn’t know if he understood what he meant, if he really got the meaning behind his words, but he has nothing to add. Jaehyun says nothing for a long time and then tightens his grip on Taeyong, pulling him on his chest.

‘I know,’ he says and Taeyong almost starts sobbing again. ‘But I’m strong enough. I promise we’ll be alright. I promise.’

Taeyong falls asleep to Jaehyun’s soft murmuring. His body is exhausted and head full of thoughts and anxiety, but his heart is light and calm, when alpha whispers again and again that he’s here and that he won’t let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 14 pages of jaeyong couple and smut. 14!!! im so done tbh 
> 
> fingers crossed i did not disappoint and you all don't want to kill me for not delivering up to your expectations😬
> 
> my brain: add a big of angst   
> me: why it's just a smut  
> my brain: cause you gotta!!  
> me: ...fine 
> 
> let me know how was it!! but don't like...bash me in comments lmao pls im gonna cry 🙈🙈
> 
> anyway, love you babes, stay safe and have a great weekend! <3


	14. it comes and goes in waves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's angst. you're all welcome!

Calling his parents was a mistake. Sicheng stares at the phone in his hand and wishes he could just turn back time. His relationships with parents turned rocky after Sicheng started living alone and met Hendery and Xiao. His friends showed him other reality, other way of thinking and since then all calls between him and parents usually ended with either an argument or stilled silence that made it clear how disappointed they were in him. With time he started calling less and less until regular phone calls turned into one call in two months. Beta still doesn’t know what possessed him to call out of the blue; maybe it was his desire to share happy news or maybe he just missed their voices. Sicheng always was very connected to his family, relatives and staying away for too long made him feel very nostalgic. Conversation went fine for a while, they even congratulated him for the project with big company and Sicheng’s spirits lifted - he thought it’ll stay this way. Getting praised by your parents has been on top of his list of things to do, always. It brought him immense satisfaction to know that his parents were proud of him. But then he mentioned how he got praised by his dance teacher in the class and all he got in response was shocked: ‘ _You still go to these classes?!’_. Then his father proceeded to tell him how important it is so stay focused on studies as it’s his last year and how he should forget about anything that disturbs him from studying. Sicheng swallowed that sour pill and said nothing, not wanting to start a fight. He long before came in terms with the fact that his passion for dancing is not something that his parents understand or support, but it still hurts. It still makes him want to cry, like a five year old boy. And then Sicheng made another mistake. He doesn’t know how could he, even for a second, believe that this was a good idea. But he shyly told his mother that he’s currently seeing one alpha. That’s when it all went downhill.

‘ _alphas are not interested in betas, Sicheng! he’s just playing with you, darling, don’t let him get close!’_

_‘he will leave you as soon as he finds a suitable omega’_

_‘why can’t you just focus on your studies for now? think about relationship later’_

_‘alphas and betas are not made to be together, Sichengie, you know this’_

_You know this_. Sicheng does know this and how could he have let it happen? Without saying anything Sicheng simply ended the call without saying goodbye. He knows what’s happening now in his house: mom tells his dad how he lost all his manners, dad agreeing with her and saying that all of friends of his didn’t do him good. He is hundred percent sure of this and the fact of complete lack of acceptance from his family - people who are by default closes to him - creates a hole in his chest. But then Sicheng starts thinking and realizes that they are right. _You know this._ He’s been taught the basics since childhood, they’re rooted in his brain, then how did he let himself be so stupid? His parents only wish him the best, they want what’s the best for him. Why didn’t he listen to them sooner?

Taeyong is not here and without him their shared apartment is so cold that Sicheng wants to get out of here fast. He wants to call Hendery or Xiao, but then thinks against it; he already stayed for a night and he’ll stay with them again today, how much more attention does he need? S _top being so clingy, it’s unattractive, you’re beta not an omega._ Sicheng came back to apartment to study a bit, because his friends both have practices even at Saturday. A crazy thought to call Yukhei pops in his head, but he quickly shakes it off. Alpha has so many things on his plate right now, the last thing he needs is his boyfriend calling him in a bad mood. So Sicheng locks himself in his room and stays up on his bed, just looking at the ceiling and thinking. Thinking, thinking and thinking. About his parents, friends and Yukhei. About his lack of confidence in his future, studies and projects. About everything he _could be_ and everything he _isn’t._ Thoughts spiral out of control and tears escape from the corners of his eyes, leaving wet trails and falling on the pillow. Sicheng doesn’t move, doesn’t think he can; all his limbs feel too heavy. Beta wants to find closure, but only ends up getting more lost in all of the memories of both good and bad times. He’s annoyed at himself for being so sensitive and reacting like this, but at the same time it’s too hard to get out of the emotional slump once you’ve entered it. Thought after thought, everything piles up and turns into a big dump that threatens to knock him over. He thinks about Yukhei’s smile, his big gentle hands, his plump lips and he can’t imagine Yukhei lying to him about his feelings. Can it be true? Can what his parents said be true? What if he has no future with Yukhei and dancing? Should he just give up? But what about Xiao and Hendery’s words? How can people who care for him have such different opinions? Sicheng doesn’t know why can’t he just not care, close his heart to his parents, who refuse to see other point of view even when he tried, tried so many times to make them change their minds. Sicheng rolls to the side and finally reaches for his phone, surprised to see so many notifications. He checks time and blinks in surprise - two hours have passed. Two hours he spent on mopping, feeling bad for himself and letting negative thoughts consume his mind fully. Sicheng grits his teeth in annoyance and deletes all of the notifications, checking last messages instead. Hendery texted him one hour ago asking what he’s doing and then again fifteen minutes before, telling him not to forget about cinema. ‘ _and you can bring your boyfriend too_ ’ - text says. Sicheng stares at the last sentence for too long and then decides- fuck it. If Yukhei will leave him anyway, then why not just make it sooner? Sicheng can introduce him to his friends and then act horribly and alpha will realize that he’s not worth all the effort and will leave him. Better sooner than later, better now while Sicheng didn’t fully develop big feelings than later, when he’ll be in love. It should hurt less, right?

Beta texts Yukhei invitation and gives him address and time, receiving ‘ _i’ll be there!_ ’ almost immediately as a response. His gaze lingers on a red heart emoji that Yukhei sent next and he almost throws his phone to the wall. He just can’t have good things, can he? Why can’t he be _simple_? Forget about dancing because it’s not like he’ll continue dancing in the future and concentrate on his studies instead. Find a good beta partner, not an alpha who’s way out of his league and therefore who’ll leave him anyway. Why can’t he be _normal_ just like his parents want him to be? So he won’t disappoint? So he’ll finally be accepted and there won’t be any more fights. Sicheng is not exactly a people-pleaser, but he’ll die for those he cares about and disappointing them or realizing that he somehow upset them is the worst feeling ever. And this feeling currently gnaws on his heart. _You know this._ He does. He does, he knows that they’re right, but why it’s so hard to do the right thing?

He changes from sweatpants to jeans and goes out, deciding to walk to the cinema. Weather outside is true to November: grey skies, cold winter that bites into your skin and general feeling that it might start raining whenever. Sicheng instantly regrets not taking a coat with him, but he stubbornly continues his walk, ignoring weird stares that he gets from strangers. Wrapping arms around himself, beta shivers violently. _He will leave you as soon as he finds a suitable omega_. Of course it’s true. Even if Yukhei told him that he doesn’t look at the sub-gender, he naturally will seek an omega to satisfy his basic needs, even if he doesn’t want to admit it. Sicheng, as a beta, can’t give him what he needs. And alpha will realize it and leave him, breaking Sicheng’s heart into million pieces in the process. _But what can I do? I can’t force him to stay with me._ The truth is Sicheng knows what to do, knows that he should break up first and not drag this for any longer, but it’s so _hard_. How can he stare into Yukhei’s eyes and tell him that he wants to break the relationship off? And then continue meeting him for the project? Alpha will move on quickly, Sicheng’s sure of it, but what about him? Will he be able to bounce back just as quickly and not let his feelings destroy the project? Will he get over Yukhei that fast? Answer is ‘no’ to everything. Sicheng doesn’t have a habit of lying to himself, so reality is clear as a day for him: he won’t get over Yukhei fast, because he never felt what he feels for Yukhei. He never reacted like this on anyone. He never longed for someone’s presence, never had the problem of not being able to get someone out of his head. _Alphas and betas are not made for each other, Sichengie, you know this._ Goosebumps awake on his skin and Sicheng knows that he’ll catch a cold after this walk. He almost gives in and goes to the closest coffee shop, when his phone rings. It’s Yukhei and if usually he’d answer with no hesitation, now beta bites his lip, staring at the caller id. It rings once, twice, thrice and Sicheng still doesn’t pick up, just stares. After the fifth ring it stops and Sicheng almost breathes out in relief, but shame also fills him. God how he wanted to pick up and hear this familiar raspy voice-

‘Sicheng!’

 _It can’t be._ But of course it is. Sicheng turns and prays that he won’t see Yukhei. His prayers go unanswered - as they usually do - because Yukhei is right there, standing next to his car, parked on the corner, ten steps away from beta. Sicheng stays paralyzed while Yukhei runs towards him. _How can fate be so cruel?_

‘I was here in the shopping mall and thought I’d stop by earlier at the cinema to buy drinks and popcorn for you and your friends,’ Yukhei says instead of a greeting, giving Sicheng his coat. ‘I was driving and saw you- well, I saw a guy in only his t-shirt on and thought what the hell, when you turned and I realized that it’s you. What have you been thinking going out in just a t-shirt?! God, you’re freezing!’

Sicheng lets himself be doted on, knowing that he won’t manage to get a word in between Yukhei’s rambling anyway. He doesn’t want warmth to spread just from seeing how much alpha cares, but his body and heart don’t listen to him; closeness of his boyfriend makes everything better and Sicheng hates it. Why things are so bittersweet? Why does he feel so much when he knows it’s not going to last? Yukhei suddenly cradles his head with his hands and makes beta look at him. It’s painful. Yukhei’s eyes are windows to his soul and Sicheng sees _everything_. He sees worry and care and it’s _too much_. He suddenly realizes that alpha saw how he didn’t pick up the phone when he called and his cheeks turn red from shame.

‘Let’s get in the car,’ Yukhei says quietly.

Once inside Sicheng lets himself relax a little; salon is warm and he almost lovingly stares at familiar maroon leather of it. Soon he won’t see it ever again anyway. Yukhei closes the door and heavy silence falls upon them. Sicheng knows that from outsider perspective he’s acting extremely weird; the kind of weird that looks good only in dramatic teenage movies, but not in real life. He starts picking at the leather, not knowing what to say, words have always been hard for him. Everything inside smells like Yukhei and he just wants to curl into the ball and sleep, stay here forever. He’s totally focused on trying to pick the leather, when big hand covers his hand, stopping him. Stupid thought like how warm and nice Yukhei’s hand is enters his mind and Sicheng swallows - he has to _stop_.

‘What’s wrong?’ Yukhei asks as he squeezes beta’s hand.

Sicheng stays silent. And what he can tell? He’s too afraid that if he starts talking then he won’t be able to shut up and will just dump all of his insecurities and problems at unassuming alpha. For a second Sicheng thinks of Taeyong and his situation with Jaehyun and almost laughs out loud; nothing comes easy in this world, does it?

‘Pretty,’ Yukhei calls in Mandarin and Sicheng looks up out of reflex, ‘tell me what’s wrong. You’re out in the streets with a t-shirt on in November. And now you’re staying silent. I’m worried, Sicheng.’

Yukhei is like an open book - just look in his eyes, on his face and you’ll be able to read him easily. Sicheng wishes he didn’t spend last weeks memorizing each and every single expression on this beautiful face in front of him. He wishes he didn’t know what this gaze means, how sincere it is. Would it have hurt less that way?

‘It’s nothing important,’ Sicheng barely lets out, lie burning his tongue.

He doesn’t look at Yukhei, because he doesn’t want to see disappointment in alpha’s gaze. His gaze is fixed on their joined hands and when Yukhei exhales slowly, Sicheng pries his fingers away. Alpha’s scent grows thicker with a not so subtle hint of anger and beta braves himself for what’s inevitably coming - an argument. But Yukhei simply turns and starts driving, not saying a thing. Sicheng doesn’t know if he’s happy with it or not; there are too many emotions battling inside him to focus on only one.

‘It’s this cinema, right?’ Yukhei asks after ten minutes of a silent car ride. ‘I’ll park outside.’

Sicheng turns and his gaze latches on many and many brands that he never ever owned in his life. Yukhei did mention that he was shopping and now looking at bags in the backseat of his car Sicheng feels this difference between them even clearer. What would someone who’s ‘shopping’ money is enough to cover Sicheng’s entire tuition for a year find interesting in him? _Nothing._

‘You coming?’ Sicheng blinks and turns to look at alpha. ‘Sicheng?’

‘Yes, I’m coming,’ he answers and hurries to get out of the car.

He still doesn’t know how to act around Yukhei: they didn’t even greet each other normally, not even talking about any show of affection. He walks slowly and exhales in relief when alpha catches up with him and then slows his pace to match him. Their hands are not linked like they usually are and this tiny detail makes Sicheng want to howl; it’s ridiculous to be next to Yukhei and not feel his touch on him. Alpha’s scent didn’t change and there’s still underlying anger in it, so Sicheng doesn’t dare to come closer or initiate something, too afraid of the rejection or argument. They walk into the cinema in silence and of course, Yukhei is the one to break it:

‘What do you want? Salty popcorn? Something to drink?’

Sicheng doesn’t know how Yukhei holds himself this calm, when his scent literally spikes with hidden aggression so much that even girl behind the counter cowers a little in fear. He knows that if he won’t take something it will only piss alpha more, so he points on salty popcorn and sprite. Yukhei pays and despite his attitude he smiles at the girl, all polite and friendly. Sicheng wants to scream out loud that his heart can’t fucking take how _nice_ Yukhei is, how undeserving he is of this man.

‘Let’s sit on those sofas?’ Yukhei asks, pointing towards general sitting area. Sicheng nods and this seems to do the trick, to finally tip alpha off: ‘Are we going to keep on playing this silent game? What if I told you to sit in the toilet together you’d also just nod silently? What the hell is this childish behavior, Sicheng?’

It’s fair. This kind of attitude is absolutely fair, but still it hurts when Yukhei calls him ‘childish’. It again reminds both of them of their age difference and Sicheng grits his teeth in annoyance. He doesn’t want to make a scene, even if cinema is mostly empty at this hour, so he just goes to the sofas, knowing that alpha followed him, huffing angrily.

‘What is going on, Sicheng?’ Yukhei asks in a hushed whisper as soon as they sat down, ‘I can’t read minds, tell me straight up what happened. Is it something that I did? If yes then instead of punishing me with silence you should just tell what’s wrong.’

Sicheng almost wants to say this cliche phrase of ‘ _it’s not about you, it’s about me’,_ but Yukhei deserver better than that. Where should he start? It’s always been hard to talk about feelings, especially negative ones. Besides, Yukhei is not Taeyong, Sicheng doesn’t know him that long and his reactions can still be unpredictable.

‘I just…’ he starts and takes a deep breath, not looking at alpha, who patiently waits. ‘I just. Had thoughts. Lots of them.’

To Sicheng it sounds awful and he cringes, but Yukhei apparently doesn’t find it bad. Alpha squeezes his hand and makes boy look up at him. There’s worry and understanding in Yukhei’s eyes and…kindness. So much of it that Sicheng can choke. ‘You mean depressing thoughts?’ Alpha clarifies, trying to get to the bottom of things. ‘Or what kind of thoughts?’

 _The kind of thoughts that make me want to cry, because they show the reality, where you’re leaving me_. Sicheng bites his lower lip so hard that he draws blood. Coppery taste of it clears his head and he takes a shaky breath, making eye contact with his boyfriend. _Stop being a pussy, just say it_.

‘We both know that this won’t last,’ he says despite his tongue refusing to work normally. Yukhei looks at him quizzically, not understanding. It frustrates beta to no end and he repeats words of his father: ‘Alphas and betas are not meant to be together.’

‘What the h-’

‘Winwinnie!’ Xiaojun’s loud voice echoed in an empty place.

Sicheng looks up and can’t help but smile, seeing his two best friends run towards them. Their timing is impeccable, as always. Xiaojun looks incredibly happy, smiling widely and eyes shining with excitement. He halts when he notices Yukhei, but just waves in greeting and turns his attention on Sicheng, almost squealing in delight.

‘We met my professor when we’re practicing and he said that our rendition of the song is amazing! He said amazing, Winwinnie! We have a chance to win in this New year festival!’ Xiaojun jumps a little, clapping like a seal and it’s so endearing to watch that Sicheng lets himself relax and forget about conversation with Yukhei. For now.

‘That’s awesome, Junnie!’ He says sincerely and Xiao lights up, smiling even wider.

‘Hello,’ Hendery cuts in. Beta is staring directly at Yukhei, who stands up and greets back. ‘I’m Hendery and this is Xiaojun. I suppose you’re the mystery boyfriend?’

‘Hi, I’m Lucas,’ alpha smiles and to just a bystander this smile looks very friendly, but Sicheng spent a lot of time memorizing his face, so he knows that this smile is forced. ‘Nice to meet you guys.’

‘Nice to meet you too!’ Xiaojun beams like the sunshine he is, unaware of the tension surrounding everyone. Omega looks down and points on food: ‘Is this for us?’

‘Oh, yeah, please,’ Yukhei immediately hands popcorn and soft drinks, making Xiao smile.

Xiaojun is usually rather shy with strangers, but he’s still riding on excitement and happiness from the practice that went really good, so he’s babbling, engaging Yukhei into conversation. Alpha responds likewise, smiling and listening intently, his charms fully on. Sicheng feels bitter, staring at them, because this is how it should be - handsome alpha Yukhei with a beautiful looking omega. This image makes sense. Hendery doesn’t show any hostility, but it’s obvious that he’s on guard with the way he scrutinizes every Yukhei’s move. Sicheng is hundred percent sure that alpha can feel it, but he pretends oblivious for the sake of not starting an argument and just - _how did Sicheng even managed to catch his attention in the first place?_ Yukhei is too nice for this world.

‘You okay?’ Hendery asks in a whisper, stepping closer to his friend. ‘Where’s your coat?’

‘I forgot it at home,’ Sicheng answers and internally cringes, when Hendery’s eyes bulge out. ‘I-’

‘It’s November, Winwin, how the hell did you forget your coat at home?’ Beta hisses and then gently grabs Sicheng by the elbow. ‘Did you two have a fight before we came? Your alpha smells…angry.’

 _Your alpha_. Sicheng squeezes his eyes shut, biting his lower lip. ‘Kind of.’ Hendery’s gaze turned worried and he positions himself such way that he stands with his back to Yukhei, so alpha won’t see Sicheng. ‘It’s alright though.’

‘It’s clearly not, your scent also changed,’ Hendery leans closer to get a better whiff. ‘You smell distressed, Winwin. What-’

‘Guys? Are you coming?’ Xiaojun taps their shoulders. ‘It’s time.’

Sicheng looks at omega and then turns to Yukhei, who’s standing not far from them. Alpha has a dejected look on his face and it’s horrible to know that it’s because of him. Crazy idea to run out of the cinema enters his mind, but then Hendery grips his elbow and pushes him towards alpha, so Sicheng follows, even when it’s the last thing he wants to do. Xiaojun’s light chattering fills the space and even when they sit down, he still manages to break the awkwardness with his mindless topics. Sicheng is almost jealous of the way Xiaojun effortlessly keeps attention on himself, keeps _Yukhei’s_ attention on himself. Beta sits between Yukhei and Hendery, already knowing that he won’t be able to concentrate on the movie. He’s too keenly aware of how close alpha’s hand is to his and the fact that they don’t hold on to each other makes him want to gag. Lights deem and soon they’re surrounded by total blackness until trailers start playing. Hendery immediately gets immersed in them along with Xiao and they whisper to each other, making comments about this and that. Sicheng wants to relax, wants to just forget about everything and enjoy this little outing, but he can’t. He’s concentrated on Yukhei’s scent, on his hand, on everything about him and it messed with his head. Not even ten minutes pass before Sicheng excuses himself and quietly escapes, running to the toilet. This was such a bad idea. He’s so caught up in his thoughts to notice how Yukhei slipped right after him; when beta turned to close the door he almost screamed when he saw alpha.

‘Sicheng,’ Yukhei calls, barely controlling anger in his voice. He enters the toilet and leans on the door, preventing someone else to come in. ‘We need to talk. I’m extremely confused and not gonna lie, really angry, so let’s solve this now. What is going on?’

This is such a Yukhei way to do things - to just face them head on, no hold backs. Alpha wants answers now and he has very little regard to how Sicheng feels about this; it’s obvious that Yukhei won’t budge until he makes Sicheng talk. It’s another side of alpha that is unfamiliar and Sicheng is disgusted by the way it still makes him yearn for this man in front of him. They’re standing three steps away from each other and it’s not close, but Sicheng still feels like there’s not enough air and space between them. Yukhei senses his hesitation and wants to step closer, but Sicheng’s scent changed to a total distress and alpha halts; his boyfriend looks like any wrong move from his part will make him flee, so Yukhei really has to be extra careful.

‘What you told me earlier,’ Yukhei starts in an even tone, making younger boy look up, ‘about alphas and betas. What was that, baby boy? I thought we discussed how both of us were past these stupid stereotypes.’

Sicheng swallows and clenches his fists. _Baby boy_. Why must Yukhei _be_ like that? Why must he make everything harder?

‘What happened? Did someone say something?’ Yukhei continues, trying to understand the issue. ‘Why are you suddenly acting like this? We can talk it out, baby-’

 _‘Don’t call me that!_ ’ Sicheng bristles, stepping back. His outburst shocks alpha and Sicheng can’t hold back anymore: ‘Why are you being like this? We both know that this isn’t going to work out, there won’t be no _us_. Are you toying with me? Until you find a suitable omega?’

Yukhei’s chest rises up and down, his nostrils flare and scent turns acid. Sicheng can’t look him in the eyes, can’t force himself to look up, too afraid of what he might see. Beta stares at his feet, feeling both relieved after emptying his chest and impossibly sad for voicing out his thoughts and dumping them on Yukhei like that.

‘Look at me,’ alpha commands, coming closer. ‘Look me in my eyes, Sicheng.’ Yukhei grabs his chin and forces Sicheng to meet his gaze. ‘Is that what you think of me? That I’m someone who will toy with another person?’ Shame burns inside beta, but because Yukhei is holding his chin it’s hard to say something. He just stares into those big eyes and sees disappointment clear as a day along with anger. Yukhei brings their faces closer, not minding Sicheng’s feeble attempts to get out of his hold. ‘Who said that this won’t work out?’ He asks, voice shaking. ‘Is it your parents?’ Sicheng nods and alpha exhales loudly, closing his eyes for a brief moment. ‘And the thing about alphas and betas not being made to be together is also coming from parents, I assume?’

‘They are right,’ Sicheng stands on their defense, because they are his _parents_ , they want what’s best for him. His whole body is taut like a bow and he digs his nails into Yukhei’s forearms, shaking with emotions. ‘You will leave me-’

‘It hasn’t even been a total month and you’re already talking about breaking up?’ Yukhei interrupts, incredulous. Veins on his neck stand out, showing how much self control he’s exuding in order not to raise his voice on beta. ‘Yes, I can leave you. But not for some omega simply because this person is an _omega_. I will leave you if you do something that will break my heart, if you upset me to the point- fuck, _Sicheng_ , how can you just blindly believe everything they say to you?!’ Sicheng opens his mouth to retaliate, but Yukhei grabs his shoulders and pushes him on the wall, trapping him there. ‘Have I once, tell me, have I once gave you a damn reason to believe that what they’re saying is true? Have I once acted like I care about your sub-gender?’

Sicheng’s throat dries out. He has nothing to say on this and Yukhei knows it. It feels like his heart is in his throat, not letting him breathe. It’s sickening feeling like he’s sinking lower and lower without someone out there to pull him up. His silence seems to placate alpha, because he chuckles sadly and steps back. Sicheng immediately misses the warmth, hands on his shoulders, eyes on him. How far gone is he for this man if he better have him angry on him then not have him at all?

‘I..’ Yukhei starts and then shakes his head.

He looks defeated and it’s such an unfamiliar look on him that Sicheng’s heart squeezes painfully. Yukhei shouldn’t look like this, especially not because of someone like Sicheng. Alpha should always be his happy self, radiate confidence and friendliness in waves, not look like a dejected and kicked out puppy.

‘I am not a young boy, Sicheng.’ He says, tone tired. ‘I am way past this college drama level bullshit about people telling you how to live your own life, because they think they have a right to do so. I thought you were mature enough to also understand how wrong it is, despite your young age I _thought_ you were smarter.’

It stings. Sicheng’s afraid to breathe, his nails dig into his palms in order to prevent himself from crying. He looks at alpha, because even right now he still wants to capture his features in his mind, even if love and affection don’t shine in his eyes this time.

‘Your parents tell you that I’m toying with you and you what, believe them just like that? You’re the one who knows me, the one who spent time with me and yet you change your opinion just because they told you so? Don’t you have your own head on your shoulders?’ Yukhei cards his fingers through hair, messing them up. He sighs and meets Sicheng’s gaze. Alpha looks like he wants to come closer and for a second Sicheng think that he will do exactly that, but then Yukhei purses his lips and grabs door handle. ‘I really like you, Sicheng. But I’m not going to be with you if you don’t believe in me, in us. What’s the point? What’s the point in being together if you think that alphas and betas are not made to be with each other? Maybe I am a fool, but even I know better than to bang on the wall without a door.’

Sicheng watches as alpha walks to the sink and quickly refreshes his face, sighing. Tension in the room can be cut with a knife and this bubble that they’re in - Sicheng knows it’ll burst the second Yukhei leaves. Alpha dries his hands and then turns back to him.

‘I better go now,’ he says and Sicheng bites his tongue in order not to say something pathetic like _please don’t_. ‘If you want to end this then alright, consider we’ve broken up just now. But I… I think you should give this some time. Think it over. I’m willing to try and put this behind us, but it all depends on you.’

Yukhei steps to the exit and he opens the door. Alpha hesitates, pauses and turns again.

‘I still like you, Sicheng.’ He says in Mandarin quietly. ‘Present tense.’

And walks away. Just like that. Sicheng was right - the second door closes after him bubble bursts and all tension falls on his shoulders, drowning beta in a mess of feelings and emotions that he can’t decipher. Without someone to pull him up.

+=+

Taeyong considers himself extremely lucky that his heat lasted two days only. Dr.Kim did tell him that heat with a destined mate is different, it sates his body in different way and that ended up being right. Never before his heat was that mild and quick; it usually lasted for four days, but this time at the end of Sunday Taeyong was certain that his heat broke and he happily told this to Jaehyun, saying that he doesn’t need to take a day off. (‘ _Are you sure?’_ Alpha asked, dropping Taeyong to his apartment. ‘ _Maybe we should be on a cautious side?’_ Taeyong assured that he’ll be alright and with one last kiss he was out of the car). On Monday he took his usual suppressants and even if his skin did feel a bit more sensitive than usual, it didn’t bother him that much.

‘You’re glowing!’ Wendy exclaims, when he enters their meeting room first thing in the morning. ‘Whoa, what happened?’

‘Someone got laid,’ Jungwoo snickers, wiggling his eyebrows. ‘Tell us, Taeyongie, is your roommate really just a roommate or…’

Taeyong blushes scarlet red and throws his pen straight to Jungwoo’s head. Haechan laughs loudly when Jungwoo is not quick enough to move and Wendy shushes them, when they get too loud. Taeyong notices that Yeri is not here and asks Wendy where did the girl go.

‘Yeri? She’s with Mr.Jung, she’ll be here soon.’

Taeyong doesn’t let jealousy rise this time. He calms himself down by simply remembering past weekend, everything what Jaehyun said to him, every single way with which alpha made him feel special. How he treated Taeyong like he was the most precious and delicate thing ever and at the same time how rough and strong he was in bed. How he called Taeyong ‘ _his_ ’ again and again, how he showered him with attention and affection. How he stared at him with unguarded tenderness and touched him unmistakable care. Lee smiles to himself and looks down at his shirt - it’s black, made of satin and belongs to Jaehyun. Alpha trapped him in the bedroom when Taeyong first wore it, not wanting to let him go until he kissed the life out of him. These memories send warm tingles down omega’s spine and he tries to keep his expression composed. Yeri is not a threat, when it comes to Jaehyun’s heart, he knows it now. His gaze stays on ‘J.J’ on the cuffs and he lovingly touches initials. _Jung Jaehyun._ His alpha, his destined mate. If Taeyong were alone he’d squeal from happiness, but as he surrounded by people, he settles for a small smile.

‘Alright, let’s start? I’ll go first and guys, let’s be serious, we need to present this right, okay?’

Everyone nods and turns serious. Today they are presenting their final plan on minimizing production costs to Jaehyun, who should either approve it and bring it to the client or again change everything. It’s a bit nerve-wrecking and very weird to see even Haechan go somber as he shuffles through his stack of papers. Wendy starts her part and pin points areas in which she’s not sure, asking opinion from others. They work splendidly for an hour until Yeri storms in with red-brimmed eyes. She hiccups and everyone immediately circles her, wanting to know what happened.

‘It’s okay, calm down, Yeri,’ Jungwoo carefully wrap his arm around her shoulders, while Wendy gives her glass of water. ‘Why did you cry?’

Yeri doesn’t reply, hurriedly chugging on water, trying to normalize her breathing. Haechan steps closer and cocks one eyebrow. ‘It’s Mr.Jung, isn’t it? Did he make you cry?’

Taeyong bristles and almost stands up on defense, but catches himself right in time. It’s not the right place and he should control himself more. He’s standing behind Haechan and thankfully no one noticed the way his expression changed. Yeri takes a deep breath and nods. Jungwoo mutters ‘bastard’ under his breath and Wendy shakes her head, sighing dejectedly. Jungwoo and Haechan help Yeri sit down and Taeyong hovers close, but doesn’t step exactly into Yeri’s personal space, not being sure if he even can.

‘He..’ Yeri takes a sip of water and then continues: ‘He said that my program didn’t work when he sent it to the directors. Last time he asked me to change few things and I did! I changed them but I think I sent wrong version to him and directors were displeased and he shouted at me for not being careful and making him look like a fool and I-’

She starts sobbing, shaking like a leaf. Wendy hugs her close and Jungwoo caresses her back, looking like he ate a lemon with the way he cringed. Haechan sighs and drops on his knees, gently patting Yeri’s thigh and telling her to calm down. Taeyong kneels too, taking girl’s hand in his, giving it a light squeeze. Everyone felt really sorry for Yeri, but no one could say a thing; she did send the wrong version, this project is too important for their company and of course upsetting directors made Jaehyun angry.

‘What an asshole,’ Jungwoo scoffs. ‘Couldn’t he have said it simply without shouting?’

‘We are all on the edge now,’ Wendy says, wiping few tears from Yeri’s cheeks. ‘I bet he didn’t mean it, he’s just pressured more than any of us are.’

‘He still shouldn’t have shouted,’ Haechan counters. ‘We all know that Yeri didn’t do it on purpose. He behaved like she initially wanted to make him look bad in front of directors. She’s not like that and even if she were like that then she wouldn’t have done it to our manager, not with her crush the size of China’s Great Wall on him.’

‘Dude!’ Jungwoo hisses and shoves Haechan and boy stumbles right on Taeyong, who holds him up. ‘That was so unnecessary right now.’

Wendy glares at Haechan and he mouths ‘ _what? i said that to make my point clearer!’_ at her but only receives another shove. Taeyong doesn’t let him fall and Haechan stands up, smiling gratefully at him. No one says anything more as Yeri slowly calms down, sniffling a bit. She blinks few times and looks around, taking each of them. She smiles at Wendy and turns, leaning fully in Jungwoo’s embrace. Her gaze then stops on Haechan, who tries to make everything less awkward by saying ‘but hey, even with puffy eyes you still look pretty!’ and she chuckles. Taeyong again kneels and pats her thigh to get her attention. Yeri looks down and for once her smile is not forced when she looks at him. It makes Taeyong smile sincerely back with a light heart.

‘Wendy is right, he didn’t mean to shout at you,’ he says and Yeri nods in understanding.

He squeezes her hand and she smiles again, looking down at their joined fingers. Jungwoo proposes to bring some sweets in order to change the mood, Haechan agrees, Wendy goes to retrieve another glass of water - all that noise in the background fades, when Taeyong sees how Yeri’s smile slowly slips away. She first stares too long at his shirt and then at their hands and like in a slow motion Taeyong watches as she reaches out and traces gold initials on his cuffs. _J.J._ When their gazes meet Taeyong holds his breath, even when panic kicks in. She stares unblinking, trying to read something from his face; omega prays to god that she won’t find whatever she’s searching for. Time slows down for him and Yeri’s grip on his hand tightens. She opens her mouth and -

‘Okay, I’m gonna quickly make a run for ice-cream, because ice-creams make everything better!’ Haechan announces loudly, breaking their eye contact. ‘Vanilla for Jungwoo and Wendy, pistachio for Yeri and Taeyong, it’s strawberry for you, right?’

Taeyong nods and turns back to Yeri, who didn’t even stop staring at him.

‘Strawberry,’ she repeats, gaze unnerving.

Lee takes his hand away from her and abruptly stands up. _Don’t think too much into it, don’t,_ he repeats to himself and smiles shakily. ‘I’ll be right back,’ he says and exits meeting room.

And the thing is.

Yeri is not a bad person. Later, she will regret what she did. She will feel herself awful. She will try to apologize, to seek forgiveness. But it all will be later. Now, she’s full of a pent up frustration, hurt and resentment. She’s been shouted at and called ‘not useful’ by one person, who takes up her whole heart and mind. She’s like a bare nerve, emotions swirling in her mind, ready to pull her under. When Wendy goes to the corner of the room to answer her phone, Yeri stands up and with big steps exits the room. With unknown determination she walks to HR office, hands clenched in fists. Now, Yeri’s _hurt._ And she wants to hurt back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyy cliffhanger! do you know what's worse than a cliffhanger though? :) the fact that next chapter will be a bonus chapter :) about xiaojun and hendery :) and you gotta wait more lmao
> 
> my brain: xiao and hendery  
> me: wait i gotta write about luwin and jaeyong  
> my brain: xIAo and hEnDeRy and KUn!! and TEN!!! and angsty a bit  
> me: ..fine
> 
> soooo tell me who it is!! and don't forget to stay safe and healthy! biggest hugs are coming your way babes <3


	15. bonus: and yet we stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bonus chapter about xiao and hendery

Kun is a perfect alpha. If there was a textbook definition of it then Kun’s photo would have been there. He’s a true gentleman, responsible, respectable, gentle and kind. He’s also traditional in a sense that he does think alphas are the ‘bigger’ sub-gender; he sees them as providers for families, leaders. He does think that omegas are ‘weaker’, that they should be protected and doted on. He’s romantic and believes in big gestures - huge bouquets, fancy restaurants, expensive gifts. He’s a hard worker and thinks that laziness is inappropriate. He doesn’t curse, thinks anything can be solved without violence, cares about his family and loves kids. He is perfect alpha in any sense. Then why Xiaojun can’t fall in love with him?

‘Hello? Earth to Dejun,’ Kun waves his hand in front of omega’s face and smiles softly, when Xiaojun blinks rapidly, focusing back on him. ‘Where did you go? Don’t go where I can’t follow!’

And Kun says cheesy stuff like that. He says them easily, makes Xiaojun blush and then proudly smiles, like making Xiao blush is his aim, his mission. It should be cute and _it is_ , but why can’t Xiaojun feel something more?

‘Sorry, I got carried away a little,’ he says and smiles. ‘What were you saying?’

‘I was talking about new track for soundcloud. Do you want to listen?’

Kun composes tracks and puts them out for everyone to listen on soundcloud. His job is not related to music at all, he has his own cafe and plans to expand. Composing is a hobby of his, hobby that he loves and which he’d like to make a main job, but he studied business because it’s rational. Kun is smart like that. He’s stable, plans few years ahead and he’s someone on who you can definitely lean on without any fear of being let down. People would kill for a partner like that. But why doesn’t it make Xiaojun’s heart flutter?

‘Of course!’ He smiles and it’s sincere, because it’s easy to smile with Kun. ‘Wait, where are you going?’

‘My computer is in my bedroom, so we gotta go there,’ Kun says and shrugs, but his eyes sparkle with something else.

‘Don’t you have any shame? Calling me into your bedroom under the cover of showing me your new track?’

Sex with Kun is always gentle. It’s mostly missionary, with his hands cradling Xiao’s head and unhurried pace. It’s Kun whispering sweet nothings into omega’s ear and repeating again and again how pretty he is. It’s nice, Xiaojun enjoys intimacy in this way, but he never fully lets go. He never feels those fireworks, this euphoria. He once proposed to try something new in the bedroom, dirty talk or some toys, for example. Kun didn’t outright say no, but he did look so uncomfortable that Xiaojun dropped the conversation immediately. (‘ _How can I call you slutty, Xiao? You’re such an angel, I don’t think I can do that_.’) And it’s _fine_. Xiaojun doesn’t want to do anything that wiIl make Kun uncomfortable, because he’s not a selfish asshole. So yeah, sex is nice. It’s lovely, really. But why Xiaojun doesn’t feel happy?

‘You’re so beautiful,’ Kun whispers after they have showered and now are laying in bed with only towels on. ‘I’ve never seen anyone prettier than you.’

Xiaojun ducks his head and refuses to look up, face burning because of the compliments. Kun caresses his back with his hand and smiles, when Xiaojun leaves small kiss on his chest. His every action swims with tenderness, even when omega wants something else at time. Kun always makes sure to cuddle with Xiao after sex, because he thinks it helps omega understand that they did not do it simply because of the desire, but out of love. Xiaojun doesn’t use this word when it comes to Kun, but he’s not cruel enough to deny alpha’s thoughts.

‘Sometimes I still can’t believe that you’re mine,’ Kun lets out, running his fingers through Xiao’s wet hair.

‘I’m right here,’ Xiaojun says, not sure why. He can’t say back any lovely sentiment, so he settles for something else. ‘With you.’

‘I know and I’m thankful,’ alpha kisses his head. ‘But I never could imagine that we will have this. You looked and you are so perfect. It’s like a dream.’

Xiaojun tenses, but Kun thinks it’s because he’s gotten cold and rushes to close the windows. Dejun has few seconds to get a hold of his facial expression and not show all of his emotions to Kun. He _hates_ it. Hates how Kun thinks he’s perfect, because he’s not. Can’t stand how alpha acts like he’s the best omega ever, when he’s not. With Kun Xiaojun constantly feels like he’s not good enough, like he’s the one who should be thankful and everything turns worse because he’s _not_. Not thankful. Not perfect. Xiaojun’s shoulders threaten to give up because of this pressure, he’s too afraid to show Kun anything but his good side; how can he disappoint alpha? Kun looks at him like he hang stars in the sky, like he’s the reason sun shines and it’s _too much_. Xiaojun is a mere mortal and he has many, many flaws. Flaws that he can’t show to Kun, because alpha won’t accept them. Little by little Xiaojun did try to show his true self to Kun. And it’s not like his true self differs greatly from how he acts with alpha on a daily basis; it’s just Xiaojun is a clumsy, he eats like a pig, snorts unattractively, likes rough sex, is not a big fan of sticking to one routine and - everything of it is not something that Kun will close his eyes on or accept. Alpha created some image of him in his head, image that is not close to reality, image that is almost unachievable. And Xiaojun doesn’t know how to break it to him, has no idea how to tell that he’s not what alpha thinks he is. His ego first was flattered to an enormous degree but very soon Xiaojun realized that it’s not even about _him_ \- Kun just created an image of his partner in the head and was pretty much ready to put it on anyone. Xiaojun was just the closest.

‘Oh, I completely forgot about your practice. I’ll drive you,’ Kun says and puts omega’s clothes next to him before going to the bathroom, because Kun wants to give Xiao privacy. Kun is respectable like that. ‘If you want we can stop by the cafe and grab something!’ He screams from the bathroom.

Xiaojun gets dressed quickly, not wanting to spend more time in this apartment than he has to. And does he even has to? ‘No thanks, I don’t want to keep Hendery waiting.’

A thought of his friend brings smile on Dejun’s face. It may sound awful but he can’t wait to be in Hendery’s presence again; beta makes him feel so secure in a sense that Xiaojun knows he can be himself fully with no holdbacks and he will still be accepted. No, not just accepted - he will be loved. This is something he doesn’t feel with Kun. God, why are they together again?

‘Right, Hendery,’ alpha walks out, dressed. ‘How is he?’

Kun is not very fond of Hendery. There are no particular reasons for it, because Hendery has been nice and at his best behavior whenever they met because Xiaojun said he’d skin him dead if he won’t, but Kun still doesn’t really like him. To Xiaojun it looks like he feels threatened by Hendery, which makes zero sense in his mind, cause Hendery is with Ten and Hendery is just Hendery. He’s a piece of Dejun’s life that is permanent and incredibly important. Kun generally has a distaste to Xiao’s friends. He’s not very enthusiastic about Winwin either, saying that Xiaojun looks way too happy talking about Winwin than he should when it comes to friends. But he also doesn’t outright voice his negativity and doesn’t tell Xiao not to spend time with them. Because Kun is not toxic, or at least he tries very hard not to be.

‘He’s good, tries really hard at our practices. Okay, I’m ready, let’s go?’

Kun is very caring. He always checks after Xiao in case he forgot something, opens doors for him and sometimes he insists on carrying his bags. Xiaojun refuses to give his bags, because he’s not weak, but Kun tries to snatch them from his hands and it’s unnerving. Xiaojun is an omega, yes. He likes to be taken care of, yes. He is shy and gentle, but for god’s sake, he can carry his own bags, thank you very much. Xiao likes being an omega, because what’s the point of hating it if it’s not something he can change? He just likes who he is, but also he does want a better social and political standing for his sub-gender, even if he’s not pro-active about it like Taeyong, for example. But sometimes… sometimes Xiaojun thinks that omegas can’t get a better or louder voice in this society because of people like Kun. People who don’t see and don’t want to see omegas as of anything other than weak creatures that are gentle, cute and don’t have decision making capabilities.

‘Let’s go out tomorrow,’ alpha suggests. ‘You said you like puppies, we can go to that new dog cafe that opened recently.’

Xiaojun likes space. He can be very clingy when he’s in the mood, but usually he’s rather distanced. That applies to all of his friends except Hendery and Winwin, because these two go beyond term ‘friends’. Weirdly enough it doesn’t apply to Kun. Xiaojun can’t spend more than few days in a row with him, because then he suffocates. From all the caring, all the doting, constant presence. _I’m just ungrateful brat, others would have killed for a boyfriend like that_ , omega thinks, but it doesn’t change what he feels. With Kun he needs space. He needs to set up certain times of meeting and he does want to be alone. It never happens when he’s with Hendery or Winwin though. With these two he can spend not just days, but weeks in a row being close and in each other’s presence and not get bored. They just blend easily into each other’s lives, so to have them near never feels like a burden. Or maybe it’s simply because for them Xiaojun feels something that he doesn’t feel for Kun?

‘I don’t think so,’ Xiaojun answers, biting his lower lip. ‘Maybe let’s do it next week?’

‘Why? You have other plans for tomorrow?’

‘I just kinda want to be alone, you know?’ Omega answers, laughing awkwardly. ‘Have a bit of a me time, ha.’

It’s obvious that the answer did not please Kun. Alpha is frowning, gripping steering wheel tighter and Xiaojun sighs internally. Kun is one of those people who think couples should spend all their time together if they are free. He doesn’t protest when Xiaojun goes out with friends, but if omega is not with friends, then he’d like them to be together and it’s…tiring.

‘Well. Alright, sure.’ Kun shrugs like it’s a no big deal.

And that is another thing about Kun - he doesn’t show his emotions. Correction: he doesn’t show his negative emotions. He doesn’t get angry, irritated or annoyed; or better, he does, but he doesn’t show it. This scares Xiaojun a bit, because people can’t always hide their negative emotions and translate only positive vibes to the outside world. It’s toxic, it’s emotionally draining and sometimes he just wants to shake alpha until he finally combusts and at least screams. Kun being that tight and strict about showing only positive image of himself makes Xiaojun react similarly; omega also unconsciously tries to be his best, afraid to just let go and not be perfect. _Let go._ That’s what Hendery says pretty often; beta often reminded that to Xiaojun when they first met in the orientation day. Hendery multiple times said to Xiao that he can let go with him. _Just be yourself,_ Hendery said, smiling. Funny how with Kun, his boyfriend, Xiaojun can’t even do that.

‘Thanks for driving me,’ Xiao says, when Kun parks next to the university gates. ‘I’ll text you.’

‘No problem,’ Kun leans closer and plants quick kiss on omega’s lips. ‘I’ll see you soon?’

‘Yeah, sure, bye!’ Xiaojun unfastens his seatbelt and tries his hardest not to bolt out of the car, even though he wants to do exactly that. ‘

Bye, I love you!’ Kun says and waves.

Xiaojun masters a smile and jumps out of the car, not saying the same sentiment back. Of course Xiaojun could easily say ‘love you too!’ just like he says to a lot of his fellow classmates or friends. But he knows what meaning Kun puts into these three words and Xiao can’t say it back to him, because it won’t hold the same meaning. Kun first said it two weeks into their relationship and Xiaojun thought it meant the same thing as when he says ‘i love you!’ to a guy, who found his scarf that he thought was long lost. But no, to Kun these words mean what they actually should in the romantic context. It first scared Xiao, because how can you love someone only after two weeks? Kun continued to say it even when omega never replied and it still scares Xiaojun, because he’s more than just hundred percent sure that Kun is in love with some kind of image of Xiao he created in his head, not with the real person.

‘Hendery!’ Omega jumps excitedly, when he notices his closest friend.

Hendery’s leaning on the wall and looks up, big smile on his face at the sight of Dejun. They rush to each other and hug tight, beta burying his nose in omega’s neck, taking a big breath. Xiaojun shivers, when Hendery runs his nose up and down a little and melts into the arms of his friend, smiling at the light kiss on the cheek. Maybe this behavior is not vey friend-like, but Hendery is not just a friend. He spends his heats with him, they kiss and fuck and no, they are not fuck buddies, it’s… complicated, but so simple at the same time. Hendery is Xiaojun’s favorite. That’s it.

‘Missed you,’ Hendery whispers, arms circled around omega’s tiny waist. ‘You and Winwin like to leave me for your boyfriends.’

‘You have Ten,’ Xiaojun reminds him and giggles when Hendery rolls his eyes. ‘What? You do have boyfriend of your own, you know!’

‘Yeah-yeah, whatever, he’s not you and he’s not Winwin,’ beta answers and kisses Xiaojun’s cheek. ‘Okay, let’s go? I practiced yesterday on my own, so I think I’ve finally got a hold of the second verse.’

They practice for almost two hours non-stop. Xiaojun loves singing, Hendery loves rapping and together they have a great time of perfecting song for the festival. It may be draining physically, but it’s fun and easy with Hendery: he jokes and dances weirdly to make omega laugh. By the end of it they walk to the nearest cafeteria, buy sandwiches and soft drinks and then find a nice place somewhere under the tree in the park and sit there, just talking. At some point Xiaojun somehow was seated in between Hendery’s legs, his back pressed to his chest, beta’s arm around his torso. They look like a couple, but it was so comfortable and so normal, so _them_ that omega hummed happily, listening to his friend.

‘How everything’s going with Kun, by the way?’ Hendery asks, playing with omega’s fingers. ‘When you came you looked kinda distressed. Everything’s okay?’

Xiaojun doesn’t have secrets from him, so he tells everything. All of his thoughts, assumptions and insecurities. Hendery listens attentively, gripping omega tighter in his arms during some parts and placing few kisses on his head during others. It’s really magical how being with Hendery makes Xiao’s heart at ease, like it knows that Hendery’s hand is it’s safe place. Why he’s with Kun again?

‘I agree with Kun that you’re perfect,’ Hendery says and Xiaojun blushes, hiding his face in hands. Compliments from Hendery always make him feel some type of way. ’No, Junnie, I’m not blind like your boyfriend, I see all of your flaws and I still think that you’re perfect, alright? I don’t put you on some pedestal like Kun does.’

Xiaojun sighs. ‘If you know my flaws how can you think I’m perfect?’

‘Because to me you are perfect,’ Hendery makes omega look at him. ‘I always told you to be yourself with me, Junnie. I know you as you are and you’re perfect. To me.’

Xiaojun almost does something reckless. Something like leaning in, closing the gap between their faces and kiss Hendery full on the lips. Because he knows that Hendery is sincere. He knows that to Hendery he is perfect the way he is, with all of the flaws and quirks of his. They never do anything remotely sexual outside of Xiaojun’s heat, but it’s not the first time when the thought of wanting to kiss his beta friend appeared in his brain. Can’t he do it? Just once? He missed this feeling of being surrounded by Hendery, of his hands on him, his lips on him. He missed the feeling of surrendering to Hendery, letting go without a fear of being judged. Hendery catches his eyes and he licks his lips automatically, his own gaze switching from Xiao’s lips to his eyes and back again. Like some magnet pull, Xiaojun slowly leans closer and stops few millimeters away from Hendery’s lips, breathing heavily. God how he wants to-

‘ _Junnie_ ,’ Hendery calls in a whisper and presses their foreheads together. ‘No, baby. No.’

Desire awakes somewhere at the pit of his stomach at Hendery calling him baby. Since he started dating Kun they never did anything romantic and sexual, boundaries immediately appearing between them because of Kun. Rejection tastes like acid in his mouth and he can’t help it, omega whines loudly, knowing that he’s acting childish and like a brat, but not caring.

‘But-’ he tries and turns around, sitting on Hendery’s thighs and gripping his shoulders. ‘Don’t you want-’

‘I want to,’ Hendery immediately reacts, hands tightening around omega’s hips. ‘And you know it. You know that I always want you, Xiaojun.’ He leans and kisses Xiao’s eyebrows and then his eyelids, when omega closes his eyes. ‘But you have Kun and you said yourself that I have Ten. And we’re not cheaters, baby. We are better than that.’

Shame floods Xiaojun’s system and he hastily crumbles out of Hendery’s lap, wanting to hide, but beta doesn’t let him. He holds him close and endures the way Xiao’s elbows poke at his sides, while omega tries to get out of his arms. Xiaojun struggles for two more minutes and with a dejected sigh settles down, not facing his friend. He’s ashamed of his desires, ashamed of what he might have done if Hendery didn’t stop him and the guilt is so strong that Xiaojun almost feels like crying. He just almost cheated on Kun, on his boyfriend, on a person who never did anything wrong, who treats him like royalty, what kind of asshole he is?!

‘Hey, hey, Xiao, it’s okay, look at me, it’s fine,’ Hendery tries to calm omega down. He tightens his grip and makes Xiao look at him, grabbing his chin. ‘Junnie, shhh. It’s okay.’

‘How is it okay?!’ Xiaojun half-whispers, half-shouts. He slaps Hendery’s chest, not knowing what do with his anger, but needing to let it out. ‘How is it okay?’

Xiaojun lets Hendery pull him closer and snuggles to his friend’s chest. Hendery caresses his back and whispers: ‘You and I are more than just friends, Xiao. It’s okay that sometimes we feel like this.’

Xiaojun bites his lower lip. What if he tells Hendery right now that it happens with him not just sometimes? That thought of his best friend invades his mind more and more lately? He still remembers the way Taeyong asked him with obvious confusion: ‘Why aren’t you two together? Don’t you love each other?’. They do. Xiaojun knows that they do. Knows that Hendery has always been number one for him: his number one friend, the one who he runs to, the one on who he leans on. Will Hendery reject him? Will he say that just because they spend heats together doesn’t mean he wants anything more? _You know that I always want you, Xiaojun_. Does he have a chance?

‘I don’t love Kun,’ Xiaojun confesses.

Saying it out loud feels both freeing and liberating. When you say something out loud it becomes real and you can’t take it back. Xiaojun listens closely to his heart, but there’s no pain there, no regret. He totally missed the way Hendery tensed underneath him, how beta froze.

‘Love doesn’t come that fast,’ beta says eventually, choosing his words carefully. ‘You’ve been dating for one month only.’

‘I won’t ever love him,’ Xiaojun says confidently. ‘He doesn’t love me either. He’s in love with some perfect Xiaojun he created in his head, not with me. I can’t be myself with him. It feels suffocating.’

Hendery hugs him tighter. ‘Are you going to break up with him? Don’t rush, Junnie. I don’t want you to regret anything.’

‘I feel like I should, but Kun is…’ Xiaojun sighs, annoyed that he can’t fully explain his feelings. ‘He’s so…great, you know? And he treats me amazing and- I don’t know. I don’t know, really.’

Hendery doesn’t say anything, not wanting to be the one who will tip Xiaojun for any kind of decision. He doesn’t want to be the one who will be guilty of the break up, then. He lets omega cling tighter to him and relishes in the warmth and affection from his friend. It’s been too long since the last time they’ve been like this.

‘Do you want to go and see what’s Winwinnie is up to?’ He suggests, wanting to lift omega’s mood. It works, of course, because Xiaojun immediately lights up, his worries long forgotten. He looks so cute with shining eyes that Hendery can’t resist and he leans in, pecking his cheek. ‘We can spend time together.’

‘That’s the best idea!’ Xiaojun stands up and grabs his bag, buzzing with new found energy. Only thinking about meeting Winwin and spending time together brings him bliss. ‘Let’s go, let’s go!’

He jumps a little and doesn’t miss fond look that Hendery sends his way. Xiaojun again thinks of how great it is that he has someone like Hendery in his life - someone who accepts him for who he is and who loves him anyway.

‘Lead the way,’ Hendery says, looking at omega with affection.

Later, Xiaojun will understand that if you can’t be yourself with a person then this relationship is not worth it. Later, he will realize that relationships shouldn’t bring you down or make you feel like you’re not good enough. Later, he will see that everything he’s been searching for in a partner, everything he ever wanted - was right there beside him. All wrapped in one person who was always there for him, knowing the real him and loving all his flaws anyway.

But that will be later.

+=+

‘This is- for fuck’s sake, Ten!’ Hendery hisses, but alpha does not react.

Ten shoves his tongue inside and Hendery gives in, kissing him back. They’re in changing room of H&M, but Ten gets horny in the most unpredictable times. Hendery is pushed to the mirror and alpha’s hands roam his body, stopping on his hips to grip them. Kissing Ten is exhilarating in a way that you never know what’s going to happen next; he can go from simple peck to a full blown make out session in seconds, from gentle kissing to sucking on Hendery’s tongue in a blink of an eye. Hendery tries not to moan or make any sound, but it’s hard when Ten obviously is riling him exactly for that with his insistent tongue sucking. Alpha pulls away as abruptly as he began, flashing beta a thousand watt smile and a wink.

‘You should buy this hoodie, it looks good on you,’ he notes and goes away, leaving flustered Hendery behind.

Ten is an enigma. He acts hot in one second and cold in another. He doesn’t say much about himself, so the whole air of mystery that surrounds him is not actually fake. He likes to tease and provoke, push people to their limits just to see how far he can go. Alpha treats everything like a game, even if he is serious when it comes to actual work. He’s hard-working, likes to prank others and enjoys learning people’s buttons and what makes them tick. Overall, he’s entirely too complicated for a way too simple guy like Hendery. So beta honestly doesn’t know how everything what’s going on between them even happened. They are not in relationship as far as he’s aware; alpha didn’t put a name on their casual outings and sex, so Hendery also didn’t. He can’t even say if they are exclusive, because this topic was not discussed and Ten can be banging other people behind his back for all he knows. Weirdly enough it doesn’t really bother Hendery as they did not state exactly who they are to each other. He is up for any new experience, but this one… he’s not so sure.

‘What took you so long?’ Ten asks, when he finally pays for his hoodie. ‘Or were you waiting for your hard-on to soften?’

‘Jesus Christ, will you shut up?’ Hendery whispers, looking around to see if anyone heard them and smacking laughing alpha. ‘Why are you so loud?!’

Ten only laughs harder and coos at beta, trying to pinch his cheeks. ‘You’re so easy to tease!’

Hendery grumbles and lets himself be pulled into a side hug. They don’t hold hands or link elbows or give each other random kisses; they don’t really behave like a couple because they aren’t really one. They are also not friends, because Hendery knows jack shit about alpha apart from information that most of the people know about him and in Hendery’s book that classifies them more like…acquittances. Who fuck behind closed doors. God, it’s far too complicated for beta.

‘Okay-okay, you big baby, don’t grumble I’m gonna buy you food.’

Ten smiles and for a second Hendery forgets all of his thoughts. Ten is… well, to put it simply, incredibly attractive. That’s why beta even looked at him in the first place; when Winwin told him and Xiao that there’s alpha in his work that he finds pretty, Hendery first wanted to look at him out of pure curiosity. When he saw Ten he understood what exactly hooked Winwin; Thai alpha is an epitome of sensuality. The way he walks, stares, talks, everything - his movements are smooth and fluid, his stare full of mirth and dare, his actions scream of confidence. Hendery didn’t make a move, because a) Winwin started developing crush on alpha and b) he had Xiaojun. And Hendery still has Xiaojun, but now his omega friend has Kun and Winwin has this Lucas guy and Hendery…settled for Ten, apparently. For Ten, who smiles all cat-like, who likes to catch Hendery by surprise and who sometimes can turn so serious that it gives beta a whiplash.

‘Burger or pizza, that’s the question,’ Ten mulls out loud, looking around. ‘Or maybe something else?’

‘I really don’t care as long as you’re paying,’ Hendery shrugs and receives a death glare from alpha.

‘You’re lucky you’re cute,’ Ten mutters and drags him to papa john’s.

It’s easy with Ten. With Thai alpha you can talk about the most random things and Ten will keep the conversation going. He has zero shame, no boundaries and doesn’t really care of anyone’s opinion on him. Ten is bold in that razor sharp way, when you know he won’t hesitate to start a conflict with anyone, he’s down to take any risk and up for any challenge. He lives on that drive, adrenaline junkie, he wants passion and fireworks and routine is his biggest fear. That’s why he loves to dance; dance is all about emotions and letting go of control. And Ten has a talent: everything reading art and creativity is his cup of tea. Hendery is in awe of how alpha’s mind works when it comes to creating something, whether it might be choreography or some drawing. It interests him, he likes to hear Ten talk about his job that he obviously loves and is very passionate about. Hendery, as a music major, shares the sentiment of loving creative work and it’s nice and useful to receive advices from someone older and more experienced. Their conversation switches from Ten’s new dance class to his new friend and then goes to Hendery’s practice for the New year festival.

‘It’s going pretty good, I think me and Xiao got a hang of it,’ Hendery comments, sipping on his non-alcoholic mojito. ‘We got praised by professor so who knows, maybe we even have a chance of winning.’

Ten hums. ‘How are you two loves doing?’ Hendery blinks and alpha elaborates: ‘I’m asking how Xiaojun and Winwin are doing.’

Hendery is not sure whether it’s okay that Ten acutely knows that he’s not Hendery’s ‘love’ or whatever. He doesn’t really pay it much attention though and doesn’t correct alpha either; what’s the point if he’s right? As far as he knows only Winwin is unaware of Hendery’s feelings towards him and Xiao, so no point in denying. He relays latest news from both boys, not even noticing how he smiles and how he immediately got softer when talking about them. Ten notices though and calls him out, because he lives to tease.

‘You’re so soft for them it’s almost disgusting,’ alpha says, chuckling when Hendery blushes. ‘I’d say it’s pathetic but Xiaojun is as gone for you as you are for him and Winwin cares for both of you more than he cares for anyone else, so instead of calling you pathetic I’d say you’re god damn lucky.’

Hendery stays still, not knowing what to answer on that. He long before learned that Ten saw through his feelings for his friends; not like that was hard to do, but still. Alpha weirdly enough reacted calmly, saying that Hendery’s crush can be seen from thousand miles away. Ten didn’t look like it bothered him at all and that again made Hendery ask himself: what are they? Cause there is no love between them, that’s for sure. Ten is capable of love, but his personality is too…independent to be bounded to someone. He’s too free and frivolous to settle. Ten reminds Hendery of a bird - he has wings and won’t stay in one place for too long, preferring to fly away but not because he didn’t love the first place, but rather because he wants to see other places too. Hendery can’t imagine alpha in a fully committed relationships and Ten said himself that he won’t feel himself very comfortable with someone who’s all about drawing lines and making rules in relationship. He stays until it’s fun and it doesn’t include any drama or deep feelings. It’s the total opposite of what Hendery wants, what he prefers and what he seeks in a partner. And again, why then they are together?

‘Xiao is with Kun and Winwin is with Lucas,’ he says, not sure why.

Ten scoffs, rolling his eyes. He takes a huge bite of pizza and stuffs his mouth so much that what he says next is barely distinguishable: ‘I can’t speak for Winwin, cause I’ve never seen him and his boyfriend together, but please, we both know that Xiao doesn’t love that guy. What’s his name, Kun? He’s too goody-shoes for Xiao, he needs someone who’s not that uptight, who’s a bit more freaky, like you.’ Hendery rises one eyebrow and alpha swallows everything before adding: ‘Oh c’mon, you know what I mean.’

The worst - or the best? - part is that Hendery knows exactly what Ten is talking about. Whenever Xiaojun talks about Kun, beta senses detachment from his friend. Xiaojun knows that Kun is not the one for him and Hendery, to his utter horror, can’t shake off the thought that he knows who is the one for Xiao. They’ve been friends since the very first day in uni and Hendery can’t explain why he never made a move on this wonderful omega before. He just always thought that maybe they’ll grow up and Xiaojun will find himself a perfect alpha, but years pass and Hendery’s nagging thought that Xiao doesn’t need perfect alpha, because Hendery is the one who’s perfect for him didn’t disappear. Instead it only grew more and more, along with his feelings for gentle omega. Hendery in general is not very touch in with his feelings; he understands his emotional turmoil, but also prefers to put it back and act like it’s not important. He never actively thought about his feelings for Xiao and Winwin - he just knew he loved them and that was enough.

‘You seem quite okay with the fact that Winwin started dating,’ Hendery decides to change the topic until his brain freezes on thoughts about Xiao and them possibly being together. ‘I thought you liked him.’

‘I did or at least I think I did,’ Ten says and hands beta napkins. ‘I have a weakness for cute boys, as you might know.’

Hendery wants to ask whether alpha was interested in Winwin simply because that boy didn’t answer to his advances. Ten is not someone who’s familiar with rejection, so trying to get Winwin became sort of a challenge for him. Thought of Winwin being simply a prize sends unpleasant shivers down Hendery’s spine and he glares at alpha. Ten notices and again rolls his eyes.

‘It wasn’t that serious, stop staring at me like that! Jeez, if anything it’s you and Xiao who are heartbroken, not me.’

‘We are not heartbroken,’ Hendery denies, shaking his head.

‘Yeah, because you both knew that your crushes were hopeless from the start,’ alpha says and Hendery barely resists an urge to kick him. ‘You two have no chance with Winwin. Now just wait until Xiao breaks up with Kun and then you two can finally be together.’

If beta was drinking he’d choke now. ‘And you’re okay with me hypothetically getting together with Xiao?’

This makes Ten turn serious. He leans closer, staring at beta with no usual mirth or teasing glances as he usually does. ‘Why wouldn’t I be okay with that? You’re not in love with me and I’m not in love with you. We’re just having fun together.’

‘Right.’ Hendery mutters, absolutely unimpressed.

‘What? Want to say that you’re not having fun?’ And usual Ten is back with sparkling eyes and teasing smile on his lips. ‘Your shouts in my bedroom make me believe that we are having a very good time together.’

This time Hendery does kick him under the table and Ten hisses in response. ‘You’re impossible.’

‘And yet you hang out with me and no one else,’ alpha looks smug when he says that but then turns somber. ‘Does that bother you? That we’re not in relationship or whatever?’

‘Or whatever? I don’t like not knowing,’ beta confesses and Ten purses his lips into a thin line. ‘I just don’t…understand what are we.’

‘If it bothers you that much maybe we should stop,’ Ten says, showing that he’s actually not a selfish guy, but cares too. ‘Or we can just be called fuck buddies? How’s that for you?’

Ten manages to make this conversation not heavy, so Hendery is rather relaxed, leaning back on the chair. ‘I think that’d be okay… at least that’s something.’

‘You’re going to leave me once Xiao breaks up with Kun,’ Ten states with no malice. ‘And I think it’s going to happen pretty soon, so..’

‘I will never understand how are you this casual about things like that,’ beta interrupts.

‘Me and you are having a good time together right now. I give you something, you give me something - it’s a fair trade. It’s easier when feelings are not involved, don’t you think so? And we’re honest with each other, that’s the most important part. Some relationships don’t even have that,’ Ten stretches and taps fingers on a table. ‘I like it like that. Maybe someday I will want something else, but it’s good for now.’

Hendery almost envies the way Ten knows himself so good and is so confident in his own skin. He wants to achieve that level of not giving a fuck about society and it’s standards, but he still has a long way to go. Ten’s logic about relationships makes sense, but it’s also not something that can be applied to Hendery. They are different, totally. And beta thinks that maybe this is the experience that he needs. He will definitely go out of whatever they are with some new insights and that’s already something. Hendery is also afraid of a serious commitment, but maybe with Xiaojun it won’t be that scary?

They stay for a little bit more and then continue their shopping, looking for perfect sneakers for alpha. Ten gets a call from one of his friends and while he’s busy, Hendery lets himself think everything what heard through, trying to understand what he feels about it. Ten’s blunt words about Hendery’s feelings towards Xiaojun and Winwin made beta a bit uncomfortable, but it’s all true. Hendery knows that Winwin is absolutely enamored with this Lucas guy and he’s sure in it just like he’s sure that Kun doesn’t make Xiaojun happy. Maybe it is time to make a move? To finally face his feelings and come in terms with them? To look Xiaojun in the eyes and say _I don’t know what I would do without you_ and _Look at me, I thought that you deserve someone so much better, but now I know that I am the one for you_. Can he do that?

‘Earth to Hendery,’ Ten calls and beta blinks, focusing back on alpha. ‘Why were you thinking about Xiaojun?’ Hendery looks shocked and Ten giggles. ‘You had that silly smile on your face and just generally looked like you’re on a cloud nine. It means you were thinking about Xiao.’

Hendery doesn’t reply and instead points on a black pair of sneakers. ‘The ones you searched for.’

Ten’s squeal makes him cringe, but seeing alpha that happy is cute. Hendery smiles and stares at handsome alpha. They are having fun together, aren’t they? And Xiaojun is taken anyway, just like Winwin. So why should he mop at the corner all this time?

‘Fuck buddies sounds crude, but I’ll take it,’ Hendery offers out of blue.

Ten stills and turns to him. Alpha stares at him for two longest minutes and then smiles so wide that his cheeks probably hurt. ‘Good. I’m too lazy to find someone new.’

‘Asshole!’

Hendery smacks his shoulder but Ten only laughs, pushing beta closer to himself. When Hendery looks up Ten leans in and they kiss right in front of the cashier. Ten molds their mouths together perfectly and takes Hendery’s breath away, taking the lead of the kiss. When they part, string of saliva connects their lips and beta licks it, staring at darkening alpha’s eyes.

‘Decided to tease me?’ Ten asks, not caring about the way cashier squirms uncomfortably in front of them.

‘I’m a quick learner,’ Hendery shrugs and winks. ‘And I have the best teacher.’

Ten grips him harder and doesn’t let go even when he pays. They rush to his apartment and Ten doesn’t let him up. Alpha takes him on the floor, making Hendery scream his name again and again until his voice turns hoarse and legs give in. Afterwards they kiss lazily and nip at each other’s lips, quietly laughing over some cheesy quote that Ten said. It’s not perfect, but it’s easy and it’s what Hendery needs. For now. Later, he will get tired of uncertainty. He will understand that he needs something more solid, more real. He will realize that his feelings for certain omega won’t go away and that he needs to do something about it until it becomes too late. Later, he will see that best relationships develop from closest friendships. He will find everything he needs in one person and that will be enough.

But that will later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one girl came into my inbox on tumblr and told me how she loves how many themes are raised in this fic and here i am! adding even more themes😂i've wanted to write about these babies for so long and ayyy xiaojun/hendery end game of course! cause im way too soft 
> 
> ALSO PLEASE GO AND WATCH WAYV'S 'BAD ALIVE (ENG VER) ON YOUTUBE! let's all die together cause!! VISUALS!!
> 
> how did you like that? some interesting relationships here :)   
> aaaaahh are you waiting for jaeyong and luwin? i literally can feel people breathing down my neck because of them😂
> 
> anyways! come join me on tumblr: http://sentimentaals.tumblr.com where i write little blurbs and imagines!
> 
> this week has been really tough tbh im just so glad it's nearing the end. this whole situation with lockdown is really getting on my nerves, so to anyone who feels this way - i love you, i wish i could pinch your cheeks and boop your nose and hug you real tight. stay safe and healthy 💜


	16. (part one) and way down we go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is about Irene stressing Jaehyun out and Yukhei being his forward self

Jaehyun is in the middle of writing an important status update for his boss, when two sure knocks on the door interrupt him. Before he can say anything Irene lets herself in, her smile formal and emotionless, as usual. She nods politely and not waiting for Jaehyun’s proposition, sits comfortably on a leather chair. Irene has this air around her that makes it clear she’s untouchable, making it known that you’ll probably lose your fingers in an attempt to touch her. Jaehyun knows she’s not that cold or scary, but they’ve never been exactly friendly with each other, so her visit makes him tense. Irene stops by only when she’s after something and by the way her lips are pursed, alpha has a horrifying suspicion of what that reason might be. But what Jaehyun learned from a very early age is to how to keep a poker face on and not let a single emotion show, so he pushes his laptop slightly aside, staring at HR director.

‘Don’t you usually sent an invitation for a meeting?’ He asks as a greeting.

‘Matter is rather important an urgent, so I thought it’d be okay to come up like that, especially when you don’t have any meetings now.’

Irene’s eyes never leave him, taking in every change in his expression, but Jaehun knows she sees none. Inside of him a dumb with anxiety and panic slowly opens, but he keeps his cool, only rising one eyebrow in a silent question. His voice doesn’t waver or break when he asks which matter is that urgent for Irene to come and when she leans closer, eyes glinting with a secret, Jaehyun has to calm down the urge to throw his laptop on the wall, because - _she knows_.

‘What are your relationship with Lee Taeyong?’ She asks without any preamble.

She wants to keep it business-like, but curiosity in her eyes can’t be overlooked. Jaehyun is almost sick of the way she so obviously wants drama. He doesn’t even blink or move, even if everything inside him turns ice cold. _Not yet,_ he thinks. Irene didn’t show all of her cards yet.

‘What exactly do you mean with this question?’ Jaehyun asks in a lazy tone, acting uninterested. ‘Last time I checked private relationships of workers were not in HR competency.’

‘When these relationships turn romantic between workers they obviously become important to HR,’ Irene replies, shooting daggers at Jaehyun with her eyes. ‘So did they? Become romantic, I mean.’

Jaehyun almost laughs right in her face. Did they become romantic? Jung spent last weekend wrapped in Taeyong, in his body, in his arms, in his heart. Two days of absolute bliss, pure euphoria and undeniable pleasure. He poured his love into younger boy, promised to fight for him, to be there for him; Jaehyun opened his ribcage and gave his heart to Taeyong, because there’s no going back. His feelings manifested into something that can’t be ignored; something big and beautiful, something that deserves love songs to be written about it. Just this morning he was looking at omega in his shirt and thought that he can’t be without him. Maybe it’s all an effect from spending heat together, but he thought that this destined mates thing worked out better than he could ever imagine. He thought that he finally found the one and thank God it’s Taeyong, not Chenle. Image of smiling Taeyong, toying with buttons of the shirt in a teasing manner and asking Jaehyun to come closer appears in alpha’s brain and his heart lounges out from his body, wanting to go back to its new owner. He then remembered omega’s tears, him whispering how everything is so hard and Jaehyun’s whole being awakened with the desire to protect. He promised Taeyong he’s going to fight for him and Jaehyun always keeps his promises.

‘You’re basically asking if I’m dating Lee Taeyong,’ alpha states, looking at Irene.

‘I’m asking if you’re dating your direct subordinate, who happens to be Lee Taeyong, yes.’

That jab with a ‘direct subordinate’ is impossible to miss. Jaehyun chuckles darkly - of course Irene would point that out. Of course she’d go into a full attack mode and why wouldn’t she? Everything about this company is sacred to Irene and she’d tear anyone, who tries to ruin so carefully created structure, into shreds. Everyone knows better than to stand on her way. That’s rather unfortunate, because Jaehyun is about to do just that.

‘The answer is yes,’ he says and can see how his calm and collected tone surprises woman in front of him. ‘I am dating Lee Taeyong, who is my direct subordinate.’

Irene is flabbergasted. She didn’t think that what Yeri told her was true and she definitely didn’t expect Jaehyun to admit it so freely. Her left eye twitches and she grits her teeth in annoyance of Jaehyun’s unbothered exterior. He looks like he owns the situation with the way he’s leaning on his chair, chin on a palm of a left hand, while right hand mindlessly draws figures on smooth table surface. For a second Irene even second guesses herself: she’s right that those kind of relationships are forbidden, isn’t she? If yes then why does Jaehyun look like a king, instead of trying to somehow appease her?

‘You must know that it is prohibited to have any kind fo romantic relationships with co-workers. It’s written in our company policies,’ she says, tone cold as ice.

‘I am aware, yes.’

Jaehyun knows that he’s paying with fire. Irene can explode in any second and take her anger on him in the worst way that may harm Taeyong too; but Jung needs to know what other cards are hidden in this woman’s hands. Is she aware of Taeyong’s real sub-gender? Jaehyun’s been in business industry for too long, his mind immediately creates different strategies based on various input data; Irene knows about Taeyong being an omega - one strategy, she doesn’t - another one. All of his strength is pulled to keep that calm and nonchalant facade, because showing sign of any emotion will be fatal in this situation - Irene will lash on it in a blink of an eye. Of course Jaehyun also thought of the simplest way, which would be to deny his relationship with Taeyong. But deep inside he knew that omega won’t like it, won’t tolerate alpha putting his head into the sand again. And in all honesty Jaehyun doesn’t want to hide it either; god, he’s not doing anything illegal why the hell he should present it as such? Taeyong wanted Jaehyun to fight for him. Jaehyun will show him how exactly he can fight for those dear to his heart.

‘But you see,’ Jaehyun starts after a heavy-loaded silence, ‘I think as long as our relationship do not affect work atmosphere in our team, I fail to see what’s the big issue here. Where there any complaints from my team members about it?’ Irene is silent and Jaehyun lets himself smile. ‘I suppose there weren’t. Well, in that case-’

‘It’s forbidden!’ Irene exclaims but quickly takes a hold of her emotions, adding in a more even tone: ‘Our company policies are against it.’

‘For now,’ Jaehyun nods and then leans closer, fully pushing his laptop away. ‘But I think over a week ago one of our managers talked to the board of directors about this issue. As far as I know it’s on preliminary consideration now.’

‘One of our managers,’ Irene repeats. ‘So it wasn’t you?’

Jaehyun shakes his head. It was Yukhei. Wong stormed into his office week ago and proposed this idea, saying it’d look less suspicious if he does it. Everyone knows how open and flirty Wong is, so no one exactly was surprised when he raised this issue, making it look like he’s taken an interest in someone from the company. Board of directors consists of ten people, eight men and two women, most of them in their fifties. All were married, had grandkids and Yukhei pushed on this, saying how it’s weird how company policies prevent workers to find their love here. Smiling like a sunshine, prince Charming worked his magic, concentrating mostly on those above fifty, knowing very well that their parental instincts will kick in. And if Jaehyun first was very skeptical about whole idea, later seating on a meeting he could have kissed Yukhei right there from overflowing gratitude. Two women fell immediately for his puppy eyes, agreeing that these policies don’t give ‘youngsters a chance of love!’, four old men were rather inclined to agree, when Yukhei said that they spend most of their time on work, going home just to sleep and change. Those board members who were younger didn’t look moved or impressed of that matter, but didn’t really see a problem in altering policies, so Jaehyun counted that as a win too. Yukhei promised to keep a tab on the whole process, saying he’ll speed it up as much as he can. Jung didn’t tell anything about it to Taeyong, wanting for it to be a surprise.

‘It wasn’t me,’ Jaehyun affirms. ‘But everyone looked like they were on board with this idea. I’m surprised you haven’t heard anything about it.’

‘Company policies can be changed only in the central office of the region,’ Irene replies automatically. ‘And then they give us updates.’

So that’s why it’s taking so long - all the bureaucracy is held in Tokyo. Neither of them say anything, but air is charged with electricity. Jaehyun’s gut tells him that there’s more to come and when Irene suddenly straightens up, eyes glinting dangerously, he knows he’s in for more shit.

‘So you’re dating Taeyong,’ she starts and her smile can almost pass for a friendly one, but Jaehyun is not fooled, not even for a second. ‘A beta?’

His heart misses a beat. ‘Excuse me?’

‘A beta. Isn’t that what Lee Taeyong is? I checked his file.’

Jung can’t let show weakness - see: _emotion_ \- right now, because Irene is watching him with hawk eyes, but it’s extremely hard not to react to this statement in any way. He hopes his stature still looks relaxed from the outside, because inside riot is starting. Jaehyun’s sure that his pulse spiked and he can hear _boom-boom-boom_ from his heart so loud in his ears that he’s afraid to miss something from Irene. _He should have known._ He should have expected that Irene is going to pull exactly this card out. And for once in his life - Jaehyun has nothing from his own to cover it with. When you grow up in a family that owns a certain business, you hear things about how should negotiation talks go a lot. Jaehyun knows that if you plan to win - and the aim is always to win, never to settle or compromise - you need to predict what cards your opponent is hiding under the sleeve and be ready to beat them with your own. He knows it and that’s how in any deal Jaehyun wins, he just has an answer or an attack ready for any proposition opponent makes. And if he smoothly answered about company policies then for this card about Taeyong’s sub-gender he has nothing ready. And that throws him off balance, snatches power out of his hands - overall it tips the whole talk in Irene’s favor and alpha is not used to that. It’s an extremely annoying feeling, seething in his blood.

‘I’m not sure where you are going with this,’ Jaehyun says, opting for a safe route. _How much does she know?_ ‘Discussing someone’s sub-gender is the last thing-’

‘I was told that Taeyong is a highly sensitive to scents beta,’ she interrupts him and ignores Jaehyun’s scowl at that. ‘I was also told that people around him started picking up some weird scent from him.’

 _Stay calm_. ‘A weird scent?’ He asks and Irene nods. ‘Maybe he started wearing perfume? That’s not prohibited.’

‘Maybe.’ Irene slightly tilts her head, looking at Jaehyun and not even blinking. Her long manicured nails tap on the table and alpha almost shouts at her to stop it. ‘Or maybe he’s not a beta.’

Jaehyun tries to discreetly take a deep breath. _Stay calm. Stay fucking calm_. Taeyong’s face is in the back of his mind and for once alpha wants to betray his principles and just do what he really wants to do. Which, in this situation, is to drag Irene by hair and make it clear that if she opens her mouth there will be consequences for her, because Jaehyun did not become a national sales manager at only 27 by being nice and having no character. He’s ruthless when it’s needed to be and this situation pretty much calls for it. Alpha makes a show of rolling his eyes, wanting to shatter Irene’s confidence in her assumptions. And they are exactly assumptions, because if she were sure, Taeyong would have long before asked to go and take a test on the sub-gender. Jaehyun guesses right that Irene’s information is not backed up by any real evidence, so for now he should make it seem like she’s lost her mind.

‘Not a beta,’ he repeats slowly, looking at the girl like she’s grown two heads. ‘Then what is he? Alpha? Omega?’ Irene leans back a little, confidence faltering. ‘Are you serious right now?’ Jaehyun’s tone makes it clear that he finds her words ridiculous. Irene purses her lips, slotting her palms together to keep calm. Jaehyun sees a crack in her armor and latches on it, like any good commander would. ‘Thinking that someone got here lying about their sub-gender,’ he starts and rises his voice a bit, making woman look up at him. ‘And that I don’t know what sub-gender is my partner … That’s a bit of a stretch, don’t you think? God, Irene, since when do you believe every little rumor that rises in this company?’

Irene looks flustered like she’s been caught red handed over something. Jaehyun thinks of anything else to say to push her over the edge, when she suddenly smiles and this smile turns blood to ice in his veins.

‘Yes, that’s very foolish of me,’ she says, slowly standing up. ‘But just to be on a safe side, I think it’s alright to ask Taeyong to take a test in the hospital. It takes only five minutes and nearest hospital is right around the corner, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem if he takes fifteen minutes of his work time for that.’ She then grabs her phone and checks something there, unaware of Jaehyun’s inner turmoil. ‘Oh, he’s already gone with Wendy to the factory of your client.’

 _Thank fuck._ ’It’s for the whole day,’ Jaehyun informs, trying his hardest not to show how affected he is. ‘Jungwoo and Haechan will join them after lunch.’

‘Well, tomorrow, then.’ Irene hides her phone in a pocket and walks to the door. She stops and turns to Jaehyun, smiling innocently. ‘You have nothing against this idea, right?’

Jaehyun has everything against it, but he can’t voice his thoughts out loud. So instead he nods and smiles. He’s the best actor. ‘Of course not.’

‘Great. Have a good day, Jaehyun.’

Irene waves and shuts the door after herself. Jaehyun sits still for three more seconds, resisting the urge to start crushing everything around him. He dials Yukhei’s number and rushes out of his office, needing to be away from it to think. Jaehyun walks to his car in long strides, wanting to run, but knowing that it’d look weird. After five minutes Yukhei appears on a parking lot and Jaehyun honks two times until his friend doesn’t rush to his side.

‘What’s up?’ Yukhei asks as he sits on a passenger seat. ‘Wow, you look pissed. What happened?’

Jaehyun stays silent for some time and starts explaining everything only when they drive away from company building. There isn’t exactly a destination, so Jaehyun parks his car once they reach the river, leaning on the back of the seat with a groan. There’s anger and annoyance in him, but also feeling of helplessness that Jung absolutely _hates._ Being used to having certain power in his hands and knowing that he can solve everything, this helplessness is so unfamiliar that it hurts. Yukhei next to him looks thoughtful and Jaehyun wants to both ask his friend not to worry that much and thank him for being so caring. Universe is shitty for making him and Taeyong go through all of this, but it also is unbelievably kind to Jaehyun for giving him friends like that.

‘What if we ask Seulgi to talk with Irene?’ Wong proposes quietly. ‘You know that they are…whatever they are. I still don’t get it, to be honest. Are they like ex-lovers?’

‘They were dating, Irene proposed to Seulgi and she didn’t accept, so yeah, ex-lovers sounds about right,’ Jaehyun sighs, rubbing his temples with forefingers. His headache is getting worse. ‘And what even Seulgi will tell her? Irene will immediately understand that she’s right in her assumption about Taeyong not being a beta.’

‘Maybe Seulgi can persuade her not to do anything? Or is that a lost cause?’

Jaehyun thinks. Making Seulgi talk to Irene is cruel considering their relationship history and Jaehyun would have asked that if only he had a guarantee that this can work. But it can’t, not with Irene. ‘That’s a lost cause.’

Yukhei sighs. ‘Well, it’s not like we can bribe whoever will be responsible for Taeyong’s test.’ Jaehyun says nothing on this and Wong turns, looking at his friend. ‘Jae?’

‘I thought about it,’ Jung answers truthfully, looking down at his hands. He can’t possibly look up and see Yukhei’s face.

‘Wha- Jae, _no_. Cmon, don’t, we both know that it’s a shitty idea.’

And Jaehyun _knows_ it. He knows that this idea is stupid, but he can’t help but consider it. His mind works on an emergency mode, looking for any variants and considering _everything_. Idea of bribing may work for now, but it’s not going to work in a long-term and alpha understands that. Lying now means lying again and again in the future and this is exactly what he wants to avoid. If he bribes now he’ll need to bribe again if this issue rises in some other time. There’s no end to this once it starts and Jaehyun, while not being exactly a crystal clear businessman, still is not fond of corrupting. He’d prefer to avoid it if he has a chance. But right now? He’d grab any straw, do anything if it helps to ensure Taeyong’s safety.

‘It’s not going to solve the problem,’ Yukhei presses, tone urgent. ‘We talked about this, it’d be better for Taeyong to leave and go somewhere else, where sub-gender doesn’t matter.’

‘Where is this kind of place in our country?’ Jaehyun asks, finally turning to his friend. ‘Does it even exist?’

‘I’m sure it does! And if not, China and Japan are always open. Jae, we both are two years away from getting a promotion. Any scandal right now will ruin your chances of becoming a Sales director. I know you’re thinking about Taeyong, but I’m thinking about- well, both of you, but mostly you, no offense to your mate.’ Yukhei grips Jung’s shoulder, smiling sadly. ‘You do the thinking for Taeyong, but let me worry about you, okay?’

Jaehyun smiles a little at this. He nods and Yukhei’s answering smile is blinding. ‘You’ll tell Seulgi?’

‘Yeah, I’ll call her, we need her master mind for this,’ Wong chuckles and then he frowns, looking at his friend. ‘Who did this? Who came to Irene with this?’

Jaehyun wishes he didn’t know the answer. If only it were some nameless person then hating and being angry would have been so much easier. But he knows who did it and that’s why his heart is heavy. ‘It’s Yeri.’

Yukhei first blinks stupidly at him, waiting for Jaehyun to say that it’s a joke but when his friend stays silent, Yukhei’s expression morphs into pure disgust. ‘Women are horrible in their jealousy.’

Jaehyun knows it’s Yeri. He doesn’t have any evidence, but he doesn’t even need them - he saw the way Yeri stared at him, how her eyes stayed on Taeyong in a calculative manner, how every time he and Taeyong stayed close she’d linger around. And Jaehyun should be angry at the girl, but he can’t find this emotion in his heart. He has a feeling that his outburst in the morning provoked this and he feels sorry. Yeri is a wonderful girl, her puppy love towards him is very cute, she’s a good and strong specialist, but Jaehyun still saw that coming. He knew if anyone’s going to burst their happiness bubble it’d be Yeri. Have Jaehyun used her in the past, knowing that she won’t deny him anything? He did. He asked her to stay up late, gave her tons of work, all knowing that she won’t refuse him. Did he ask for favors? He did. Payback was going to come, sooner or later.

‘Does Taeyong know?’ Yukhei asks and Jaehyun shakes his head. ‘When will you tell him?’

‘He and Wendy are on the factory of our client, he’ll be free closer to an evening. So that gives me-’ Jaehyun glances at his wrist watch, ‘-exactly six hours to solve the problem.’

‘What can I do? I’ll tell everything to Seulgi and we’ll brainstorm together, but for now - what can I do?’

Jaehyun reaches out to his friend and squeezes his bicep. No words in the dictionary will be able to convey his gratefulness to Yukhei. ‘Thank you. Can you learn about policy changing status? Speed it up? That’ll help for the future.’

Wong nods. ‘Of course, I’ll deal with this. What are you going to do?’

Jaehyun traces steering wheel with his index finger. He has so many different thoughts, but they are not structured so it’s hard to answer. There’s one thought that stands out though, calls for his attention and Jaehyun doesn’t really like it, but it’s probably the best way to go. He sighs and closes the windows, turning engine on. Bringing his family in this equation or in any situation is the last resort of his, because Jaehyun is twenty-seven for god sakes and he’s capable of dealing with his shit on his own. His relationship with parents are not the best and reaching out to them is rather awkward, but if it’ll help Taeyong, Jaehyun will do this with no holding back.

‘I’m going to talk with my dad.’

Yukhei doesn’t say anything on this, for which Jaehyun is thankful. Since the divorce Jung stayed with his mother, but his father tried to keep in touch with him throughout the years. They were close but grew apart when Jaehyun chose another career path, but they do meet and talk on a monthly basis. His father is not the last man in the industry and he earned his high status and reputation. Jaehyun never asked anything from him since he went to university and hopes that his first cry for help won’t be ignored.

‘Good luck,’ Yukhei wishes when Jaehyun drives him to the company building. ‘Call me if anything happens, okay?’

‘Will do,’ Jaehyun assures, smiling. ‘Thanks, Yukhei.’

Wong pauses and then smiles kindly, patting Jaehyun twice on the shoulder. Their mutual understanding without having to say anything always works. ‘Anytime, Jae. Anytime.’

Jaehyun drives straight to his father’s office after that. His head threatens to simply explode from the amount of thoughts that are in it and when tension reaches its peak, Jaehyun curses and calls Taeyong. He can’t keep it inside till the evening, need to share is too strong and besides, he has a feeling that the sooner he tells him everything, the better. His mate picks up after the third ring and Jaehyun immediately asks him to go somewhere private for a talk. After few minutes sounds of machines working quietens down and Taeyong breathes out a sigh of relief.

‘Okay, I think I’m safe,’ Taeyong says and Jaehyun can hear a smile in his voice. ‘Hi, what’s up?’

‘Taeyong,’ Jaehyun calls and swallows before saying: ‘Irene knows.’

There is a silence on the other end and not knowing how Taeyong looks right now kills alpha. Is he afraid? Did his eyes grow big? Is he leaning on the wall for support? Is he terrified? Did he start to pick on his nails? Before Jaehyun can say anything, Taeyong asks to clarify: ‘About what exactly?’

‘About us and she has assumptions about your sub-gender too.’ Jaehyun doesn’t hide anything and hopes his voice doesn’t waver, hopes he can translate calmness to Taeyong too. He wants omega to know that he can rely on him, so he says: ’But I’m handling it.’

‘You’re handling it,’ Taeyong parrots without any emotion.

Jaehyun grips steering wheel tighter. ‘Yes, I am.’ _At least I’m trying._

He hears a sharp intake of breath and then half-whispered: ‘How _exactly_ you’re handling it?’

Jaehyun bites his lower lip and doesn’t let go until he draws blood. Logically he understands that Taeyong asks an important question and it’s alright, but emotional side of him rises and is ready to be hurt because his omega obviously doubts him. And Taeyong has all reasons for that, Jaehyun knows, but it still stings. What kind of alpha he is if he can’t protect his own mate?

‘ _I’m handling it,_ ’ Jaehyun repeats stronger this time. ‘You don’t have to worry.’ Taeyong doesn’t say anything on this and Jaehyun sighs, wishing he can be right there to just hug the boy and kiss all the worries away. ‘Taeyong, listen, I’m telling you this now just so you would know. But you don’t have to worry, alright? I’ll take care of it. Everything will be fine.’

 _Please, believe me. Please tell me that you have faith in me and I will flip mountains, I will justify your hopes._ Jaehyun is barely breathing and his lungs burn from the need of oxygen, but how can alpha inhale when Taeyong is not saying anything? Again Jaehyun wishes he could be next to him. Is Taeyong questioning his abilities to protect him? Is he afraid? Did he lost all hope in Jaehyun? Not knowing what’s inside omega’s head is awful.

‘Okay,’ Taeyong finally replies after what seemed like a small eternity for Jung.

‘Okay?’ Jaehyun asks, afraid to get his hopes up too soon.

‘Yeah, _okay_. I believe in you.’ Taeyong’s voice is not weak, but not full of confidence either. He sounds tired, more than anything else. ‘If you say that you’ll handle it then you will. Just…keep me updated? I can’t not worry.’

‘I will,’ Jaehyun promises. He promised so many things to Taeyong, he just hopes he’ll be able to keep every single one of promises.

‘How… are you?’ Lee asks timidly. ‘Are you in a trouble because of-’

‘You don’t have to worry about me,’ Jaehyun interrupts. ‘I’m-’

‘Stop that bullshit, of course I’m worried for you!’ Taeyong hisses and even though he sounds angry, Jaehyun’s heart still melts. ‘How can I not? You’re now in trouble because of me, so-’

‘I said that I’m strong enough,’ Jaehyun says confidently. ‘And I said that everything will be fine. So it will be. Just trust me, okay? And don’t make mistake in calculations right now, aren’t you busy with counting amortization costs of the factory?’

Taeyong huffs at that. ‘I never made a mistake!’

‘Well, there is a first for everything,’ alpha answers and Taeyong’s indignant ‘hey!’ makes him smile.

There’s a silence for few seconds and Jaehyun is almost happy that he turned serious atmosphere around, when Taeyong asks quietly: ‘It’s Yeri, isn’t it?’

Jaehyun sighs. What’s the point in lying? ’Yeah.’

Taeyong doesn’t say anything for a long time after that. They’re just both in their minds until omega says that he has to go.

‘Yeah, of course,’ Jaehyun mutters, clearing his throat. ‘Good lu-’

‘Jaehyun? You’re listening to me, right?’ Taeyong asks suddenly, voice urgent. When Jaehyun says that he is listening, Taeyong continues: ‘Good. I don’t know what is your plan, but whatever you’re doing, please be careful. Think about yourself too, okay? And Jaehyun? I trust you. I trust you, alpha. I know you will handle it.’

Taeyong calling him alpha is a message. It’s him saying _You’re my mate and I believe in you._ It’s him confessing _You’re my alpha. Not because we are destined mates, but because I chose you_. And Jaehyun is ready to lay moon and stars under omega’s feet for that.

‘I’d wish you good luck but you don’t need it,’ Taeyong says in a much more confident tone than before. ‘Bye, call me with updates, alright?’

‘Okay, bye, I love you,’ Jaehyun lets out unable to control his emotions.

Before he can hear what Taeyong has to say he ends the call. Saying these three words seemed to be the most natural thing to do, so Jaehyun didn’t fight it. _I love you._ These words flew from his tongue on their own, but Jaehyun is not going to take them back even if he was given a chance to. He throws phone to the passenger seat and feels a sudden rush of confidence and faith. It’s so much easier to fight for something when it has a name. When he can wrap all of his feelings in three simple words. Alpha parks close to his father’s office and rushes out, not wanting to waste any second. _Everything will be fine,_ he repeats to himself and soon he starts to believe in it, too.

+=+

Yukhei is not the type to dwell. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s not in touch with his emotions or is not emotionally mature, Wong just doesn’t see the point in reminiscing or regretting something. He lets people go easily, being a firm believer that when someone walks out of his life it’s only to give place to someone new. He never is very affected by bad mood or sadness, depression is rather foreign to him as Yukhei takes everything that comes without questioning why it happened; it just did and he has to deal with it, easy as that. Negative emotions do arise in him, but he tries his hardest not to focus on them; negativity eats up his energy and he forcefully makes his mind see something positive in order not to break down. So yeah, all together Yukhei doesn’t dwell. Or better, he didn’t. Until now.

It’s been two full days since his talk with Sicheng and younger boy still didn’t contact him. By the simple fact that Taeyong didn’t rush to his office on Monday to strangle him, Yukhei easily guessed that Sicheng didn’t tell anything to his friend as of now. Part of him is worried, because he doesn’t want Sicheng to go through this alone, but another part is happy that he decided to solve everything on his own. Whole Yukhei’s being is in hatiko mode, which is not something that ever happened. Last time alpha was that nervous about the outcome of something was when he waited for the invitation letter from university. He still remembers this horrible feeling of not being able to sleep, eat or concentrate on anything apart from constantly checking mail box. What Yukhei feels now is both similar and different. Similar in a way that Yukhei is waiting for a sign from someone else, eating himself inside. Different in a way that fear feels; he’s not just afraid. Yukhei is _terrified_ that there is a possibility of Sicheng not coming back to him. It’s ridiculous because alpha knows he’s not in fault here, so it’s not his deal to come crawling back with apologies (not like this is what he expects from Sicheng), but he still can’t help but worry. Wong played again and again every second with beautiful beta in his mind and not once has he made him question anything. Yukhei can’t say that he understands Sicheng here, but alpha reminds himself that he’s older, more mature and never had any problems with his parents. Yukhei can’t relate, but it doesn’t mean he’s not willing at least to try. Anger that his boyfriend decided everything for them without even consulting him at first blinds him first day, but then he calms down and sees picture clearer. He spent whole weekend just thinking it over and reliving their moments together. Yukhei thinks about Sicheng’s shy smiles at their first dates that soon turned to fully radiant ones once he became more comfortable. He remembers their kisses, always full of affection, always leaving alpha yearning for more. His memory shows him laughing Sicheng, playful Sicheng, rushing into his arms Sicheng. Beta learned to be bolder, initiating kisses first more and more, he started opening up more, showing Yukhei his mischievous and a bit childish side. And the more he shows the more alpha falls. Yukhei is surprised how quickly he got infatuated with the boy and tries to reason with himself. Should he really feel all of this? Maybe it’s just a quick fling that will pass? But in the next second answer rings loudly in his ears: no. It’s not just a fling and Yukhei has never in his life has been that invested into anyone. Alpha feels how this situation impacts his mood and throws himself into work, trying not to think about Sicheng. This proves to be effective for exactly one day and on Monday Yukhei wakes up to a growing hole in his chest. He’s annoyed, upset, angry and frustrated. Dangerous mix and everyone from his team seems to sense it, staying far from him.

‘Coffee?’ Renjun proposes timidly during their status update meeting. ‘The one we have here is awful, I can run to Starbucks and get you your favorite one, Mr.Wong.’

Yukhei shakes his head and freezes. Starbucks. Funny how quickly this coffee shop reminds him of Sicheng. Is he there? Alpha knows his schedule by heart, it’s Monday, so Sicheng should be there. Should he go? Just to check? Just to see? Impulsive decisions are not new for Yukhei, so he doesn’t try to reign himself in and just wraps up the meeting, grabbing his jacket. If Jaehyun was here he’d probably tell him not to go, but his friend doesn’t know about situation with Sicheng, so Yukhei doesn’t have anyone to stop him. He doesn’t even grab his coat, just opting for a jacket cause coffee shop is literally three minutes away from their building. Cold wind bites into his skin and his light blue jacket doesn’t keep him warm at all; alpha runs and with relief notices bunch of people inside. It’d be awkward if he were alone, but with a lot of students and workers around he easily gets lost, moving closer to the cashier. His eyes immediately find Sicheng and Yukhei stops, preferring to stay behind two tall girls. He’s not standing far from the barista and can see how out of everything Sicheng looks. Beta does everything automatically, like a robot and seeing him without his usual smile on a face when he makes coffee only upsets alpha even more. It’s amazing how Sicheng warmed his way into Yukhei’s heart so fast, that at twenty seven Yukhei for the first time feels like he’s falling without a parachute and without anyone there to catch him. The variety of emotions that alpha feels because of this young boy is something unprecedented for him. Yukhei never was in love. He never really cared enough, to be honest. He never missed anyone. But Sicheng? He misses him. He wants him back, even with all the stupid drama that comes with him. Even when he knows that Sicheng has a long journey of finding his true self ahead of him. Yukhei wants to be there. Realization is like a lightning in the sky, so sudden that it knocks out all the air from his lungs and he blinks quickly, trying to come back to reality. If this is what falling in love feels like then Yukhei’s not sure if his heart is strong enough. Is this what Jaehyun feels towards Taeyong? Is it different when they are destined mates? Do they feel some upgraded version and Yukhei gets a basic one due to simple fact that Sicheng is not his mate? And to think that all people are searching for this, they long for love, when it’s so terrifying to just _feel_ it? God, why do people voluntarily go through this again?!

‘Claire, your frappe latte is ready!’ Sicheng calls out without looking up.

Yukhei blinks and hastily catches up with the queue, realizing that it’s his turn. Mark - as written on a badge - looks at him weirdly and then not so discreetly turns to Sicheng and then back at Yukhei, clearing his throat. Oh, so he recognized him. Alpha orders, pays and smiles at Mark, who stutters and cutely blushes. Yukhei chuckles to himself and walks away, coming closer and closer to the real reason of his arrival. Sicheng is standing with his back to him and alpha is not sure whether he should call him out or not. Nerves bubble in his stomach, which is also first for him when it comes to relationships - it’s funny how Sicheng experiences a lot of his firsts with Yukhei, but it’s the same for alpha, he also has many firsts with this boy. Sicheng turns and Yukhei gets to enjoy his side profile for whole five seconds until beta doesn’t catch name on the cup.

‘Yukhei,’ he whispers and slowly looks up, meeting Wong’s gaze straight on. Sicheng blanches, his stoic mask cracks as he stares at alpha. It’s like he’s seen a ghost. ‘You-’

Yukhei doesn’t want to cause a scene, there are way too many people around for his liking and Mark already shoots completely not subtle glances their way. So without saying anything alpha just takes his cup, intentionally covering beta’s hand with his while doing so. Sicheng is not breathing and Yukhei can totally relate - he also holds his breath, looking in pretty eyes of the boy in front of him.

‘Thank you,’ Yukhei whispers in Mandarin and quickly walks away, trying his hardest not to look back.

Alpha’s hand is shaking and he pauses once he’s out, taking a deep breath. God, that was such a stupid thing to do. Seeing Sicheng didn’t bring him any peace - it only opened up his wound even more, all of his longing actually turning into physical pain. Yukhei shivers from the cold and takes three steps forward when door roughly opens and his name is being called. When Yukhei turns, Sicheng stands close to the door and moves to let people out. Beta is still in his apron and without a coat, looking both surprised and ashamed. _Guess we both make impulsive decisions,_ Yukhei thinks to himself, taking one step to the boy.

‘Why..’ Sicheng starts and then clears his throat, saying it louder: ‘Why did you come?’

For a coffee, Yukhei can say. It’s the closest coffee shop, he can say. But alpha doesn’t have a habit of lying. ‘Because I wanted to see you.’

His honesty, as always, disarms Sicheng. Beta blinks at him two times before repeating: ‘But _why_?!’

With shock alpha realizes that boy in front of him is angry. Which is ridiculous because if there is a person whose anger can be justified here it’s definitely Yukhei. He stares at his boyfriend - or ex-boyfriend? - and doesn’t know what to say. Sicheng is obviously waiting for _something_ , gaze hard on alpha. But what can Yukhei tell him? Of course he can say what he feels, but his pride is still with him, still intact, so that’s not happening. Instead, alpha goes to another route:

‘Have you thought everything over?’ He asks and Sicheng’s anger dissipates as a popped balloon and he takes a step back. ‘I’ve been waiting for your call.’

Beta’s head snaps so quickly that Yukhei almost halts back. Just two seconds ago Sicheng looked like he’s ready to curl into the ball and hide, but now he’s looking at Yukhei with something else in his gaze. _Why are you so hard to read?_ Yukhei wants to ask. _And why the hell you are so pretty?_

‘You were waiting for my call?’ Sicheng asks incredulously. Yukhei nods. Beta sputters, taking another step back until he collides with a window of a shop. ‘But- but I- I thought you’d never… _Don’t you hate me?_ ’

It’s time for Yukhei to stumble, alpha stares in shock at the boy, because he can see that this question been asked in all seriousness. ‘Hate you?’ Yukhei repeats and almost wants to laugh. He repeats to himself that Sicheng is younger, that at twenty-one people do throw words like ‘hate’ carelessly, not really realizing the meaning of it. ‘No, Sicheng, I don’t hate you. We just had an argument, or a fight, whatever you want to call it, but I don’t hate you.’

Sicheng obviously doesn’t believe, alpha can see it in his expression. Beta starts to shiver from the wind and Yukhei steps closer, pulling his jacket on him. Not like it helps much, but he can’t stay and do nothing.

‘But you left,’ Sicheng says and there is no accusation in his tone, he’s just stating facts.

‘I did,’ Yukhei nods, rubbing beta’s hands up and down, wanting to warm him up somehow. ‘Because I was very angry. But I told you that if you change your mind- anyway, I told you that I still like you. Didn’t I?’ Sicheng nods, looking at like him in trance. ‘Well, that’s still the truth. I thought you’d call after you solved everything.’

‘Solved everything,’ Sicheng repeats and then shakes his head. ‘I didn’t solve anything.’

‘But you thought it over, right?’ Yukhei asks a bit desperately and beta nods. ‘Okay, good. And do you still agree with your parents?’

Yukhei thinks he’s going to die if Sicheng says yes. His grip tightened on boy’s shoulders and his heart stopped beating. _Please don’t say yes._ Sicheng licks his lips and Yukhei can’t help but do the same, eyes for a second going to these pretty lips and then back to his eyes. _Get a grip, Wong, what the fuck_. This close he can almost smell beta; his scent barely there, repressed, but it still calls to alpha. Desire to kiss, hug, do _anything_ is so strong that Yukhei has to step back.

‘I don’t agree with them fully,’ Sicheng finally says and while it’s not the definite ‘no’ that Yukhei’s been waiting for, it’s still better than nothing. ‘I.. I’m very ashamed. You were nothing but kind to me all this time and I just-’

‘It’s okay,’ Yukhei quickly says. ‘Well, it’s not okay, but I mean, we’ll talk it out. It’s enough for me that you don’t agree with whatever these people were saying.’

‘These people are my parents, Yukhei.’

Alpha sighs gravelly. He silently thanks god for his own parents and then pats Sicheng’s shoulder, not knowing what words would be right. Sicheng obviously had hard weekends, thinking everything over and coming to not so nice conclusions, so to press now would be cruel. Now, alpha fully understands why Sicheng didn’t call. Their age difference becomes glaringly obvious in moments like this, when something so natural and easy for Yukhei is foreign for Sicheng. Six years may not be a big gap for someone, but Wong has to remind himself again and again that he was like this at twenty one too. He also reacted to everything dramatically, was very radical in his opinions and thought that if something goes not the way it was planned then world is going to be over. He was also insecure, but because of his outgoing and friendly personality, he had managed to hide this fact; besides, he had Jaehyun and Seulgi by his side as two constant figures of support as well as his other friends. He didn’t have toxic parents nor was he very sensitive in general. Sicheng is different and he’s easily affected by what close people think of him or of his decisions - Yukhei remembers also trying to meet everyone’s expectations of him until he burned out and realized that this is not the right way to live life. All these stages with finding your true self, establishing your principles were in a past for him, but not for Sicheng. And he can’t push or press, it’s a journey that Sicheng should go on his own. But Yukhei can be there for him like he is there for his friends. Only for Sicheng he can be not only a friend; more like boyfriend or any other title that will permit Yukhei kiss this boy whenever he wants. Alpha gingerly stretches out his arms and stops breathing until Sicheng doesn’t hug him.

‘Sichengie,’ Yukhei whispers and wraps his arms around the boy, keeping him close. ‘I know it’s not easy. I’m sorry.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Sicheng mumbles into alpha’s neck. ‘I never thought anything bad about you, I’m sorry. I wanted to call, but I didn’t think you’d answer.’

 _Ah, there it is._ Yukhei presses small kiss on his temple and makes beta look up at him. ‘Fights happen and it’s alright. But to hide instead of talking is not okay.’

He leans and gently kisses Sicheng’s forehead. Then he leaves kisses on each eyebrow. He kisses his nose and pauses, waiting for permission to go lower. Sicheng’s hand tightens on his shirt and beta leans in, when suddenly door busts open and Mark’s awkward but urgent: ‘Sicheng, you need to come back now!’ makes both of them freeze. Sicheng blushes and hastily takes off Yukhei’s jacket, giving it back to alpha.

‘I need to go,’ he whispers and follows Mark back to the shop, but Yukhei grabs his wrist, stopping him. ‘What?’

‘We’re good, right?’ Yukhei clarifies and Sicheng nods, smiling shyly. This smile makes alpha’s heart sing. ‘Okay. I’ll pick you up tonight?’

‘At nine thirty,’ Sicheng answers, not being able to stop smiling. He tries biting his lips, but they stretch into a smile anyway.

‘I’ll be here. Have a good day, pretty,’ Yukhei whispers and laughs, when Sicheng shushes him and runs back to the shop.

Alpha stays rooted on the spot for few more seconds and only then goes back to the building. It’s cold outside, but happiness that he feels inside warms him up. Yukhei’s mood improved significantly and when he gets an incoming call from Jaehyun, he picks up happily.

‘What’s up, Jae?’ Yukhei asks, nodding to receptionist.

‘Can you meet me in the parking lot? In ten minutes,’ Jaehyun answers and his tone is tight, clipped, making Yukhei tense immediately.

‘Sure.’

He goes to the elevator, knowing that something bad happened. After so many years of friendship he learned to notice and pick up every single notes in Jaehyun’s voice. Yukhei silently thanks gods for helping him to sort it out with Sicheng. If he wouldn’t have done that then he didn’t have a resource to help Jae now. Without resource Yukhei is as useful as a teacup, he won’t be able to even process the situation fully. But now he feels stronger once his emotional turmoil has been settled. He thinks of Sicheng leaning to him, obviously waiting for a kiss and smile threatens to split his face. Sigh of relief escapes his mouth as he understands that he can still address Sicheng as ‘my boyfriend’. Alpha impatiently presses the button again and again until elevator doors don’t open, letting him in. Reigning his happiness in, Yukhei fully concentrates on helping his friend out. They say you can’t pour from an empty cup and his cup is full to the brim thanks to Sicheng, so he’s more than ready to assist in any way he only can. When he enters the parking lot his phone buzzes with a message:

_‘I like you. A lot.’_

Yukhei freezes and then almost bursts with laughter when he immediately receives another message:

_‘It’s Sicheng, in case you deleted my number.’_

Alpha shakes his head fondly. Did Sicheng really think that he deleted his number just because of that argument? This boy is really something else. Yukhei quickly types an answer and rushes to Jaehyun, who already honked twice to get his attention. He doesn’t know it, but not far from him in Starbucks, Sicheng opens his message and it fills his heart with warmth.

_‘I like you way more than just ‘a lot’, pretty. Don’t have any doubts about that.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alnldblsbgdgf i HATE to write angst so there won't be much of it here, because!! mature people solve their shit in a mature way or at least i like to think so (humor me and think so too pls)
> 
> on other note, hi hello how are you? i can't believe that summer is about to end and that all of us spent it...like that😔 it is very unfortunate and yeah, im pretty tired of being a part of important moment in human history. hopefully very soon we all will return back to our normality, even though after 6 months i can totally say that staying at home is new norm :( 
> 
> how's the chapter? tell me all your thoughts!! i saw that last bonus chapter wasn't taken very well, but at least i hope you all are watching wayv's 'bad alive' performances on youtube! let's give love to these boys!
> 
> also sending all the love to all of you.💜 stay safe, happy and healthy, please!🥺 eat lots of good food and treat yourself like you'd treat a friend, okay? okay. <3


	17. (part two) we gotta have high hopes (for the living)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mature people continuing to solve their shit in a mature way

Taeyong turns back to look alpha in the eyes. ‘That’s called corruption.’

‘If you have better ideas I’m all ears.’

Taeyong purses his lips. Jaehyun sighs and tightens his hold on him. They’ve been sitting on his sofa, Lee between Jaehyun’s legs for already an hour, discussing tomorrow’s actions. Or better, Jaehyun was telling his mate the plan and Taeyong was disagreeing.

‘I really don’t want you to do anything illegal,’ Taeyong whispers.

Guilt eats him up alive. He realized how stupid and reckless his move to enter the company was after the first argument with Jung, but now he just can’t wrap his head around it. How did it seem like such a good idea back then? Was he high or on drugs? How did he think that he won’t get caught? How could he think that it’d end up anywhere but here? Taeyong knows that blaming himself won’t change the situation but he can’t help it; his complete lack of future planning and analytical thinking makes him want to gag. If he wasn’t so careless they wouldn’t have to solve this mistake. In a quiet voice Taeyong apologizes and voices out loud his last thought.

‘Hey, look at me,’ Jaehyun squishes omega’s cheeks in his hands and makes him look up. ‘Stop beating yourself up. Think of it that way: if you weren’t this careless then we wouldn’t have met. I think that’s a way bigger tragedy than the one we have to deal with now.’

Taeyong smiles. He agrees wholeheartedly, because he can’t imagine a world where he doesn’t know Jaehyun. Where Jaehyun is not his destined mate, his alpha, his lover. World, where Taeyong is alone, without strong arms wrapped around his waist and hot lips on his neck. Omega doesn’t even want to think about it.

‘At least one good outcome,’ he jokes and Jaehyun chuckles.

They still didn’t address a big elephant in the room - Jaehyun saying ‘I love you’ on the phone to him. Taeyong was too shocked at that time to say anything back, but he couldn’t stop thinking about it whole day. Is it too soon? To say these three words after only a month of dating? Taeyong knows people who confessed their love after a week, has friends who were sure that they were in love after only one meeting with another person, has seen literally ‘love at first sight’ thing happening in front of his eyes between two people. So he knows that every couple is different, but it still worries him. Did Jaehyun say it because he was too emotional? Because of the nerves about situation? Is it real and did he mean it? Do they even have the same understanding of what ‘I love you’ stands for? What if Jaehyun is like Xiaojun, who says these three words to almost everyone? Deep inside Taeyong knows that alpha is not like that, but what if he’s wrong?

‘Stop frowning,’ alpha mumbles and presses on Taeyong’s forehead just like omega always does to him. ‘Or wrinkles will appear.’

Taeyong forces a smile out and turns away. He leans on alpha, back pressed to his chest and stares at empty bowl of ramen on the table. It feels wrong to raise this topic now, when they obviously should care about another issue. Weirdly enough Taeyong is not that stressed about his secret being revealed; he’s more nervous for Jaehyun, in all honesty. Sense of justice is very strong in him, so Tayeong views whole problem in a different way. He made a mistake and he needs to pay for it, because that would be fair. He’s not scared for himself, but probability of all of that having a negative effect on Jaehyun and his career almost makes him numb with fear.

‘Babe,’ Jaehyun calls in a quiet tone. ‘Please don’t think so much about me bribing a doctor. I wish I could say that it’s going to be the first for me, but that would be a lie. You’re not corrupting me or making me go the wrong way here. If anything, it’s you who should be kinda wary of being in relationship with a not so squeaky clean businessman.’

Jaehyun starts kissing nape of his neck and Taeyong shivers, leaning more. He rests his head on alpha’s shoulder, turning his head to the side so he can stare at his face. Jaehyun looks tired. His hair is disheveled, there are bags under his eyes and his skin looks paler than it was before. It’s obvious that this situation stresses him out more than it does Taeyong and omega’s heart flutters in his chest. Jaehyun tries hard to make everything alright and even if it won’t work out that way Taeyong still is going to be thankful simply for all of that effort that’s been put into it. Alpha promised he’s going to show him how much he cares and he’s keeping his promise. Taeyong is ridiculously happy even when circumstances are not in his favor.

‘You don’t seem very anxious,’ Jaehyun notes, carefully checking his facial expression. ‘I’m rather surprised, I thought you’d be stressed.’

Taeyong can tell the honest answer about his relatively calm state, but he knows Jaehyun will start stressing even more. Alpha will start lecturing him how he doesn’t have to feel guilty and all that bullshit. Taeyong doesn’t need to hear this, because he knows he’s the one to blame here. So instead he tells another truth, looking into alpha’s eyes:

‘I trust you. I know you’re doing everything you can and… I just want this to end.’

 _I know I made a mistake and I’m okay with receiving a backlash for it,_ he wants to say, but doesn’t for the sake of Jaehyun. He also doesn’t tell him how he avoided Yeri like a plague on the factory, shutting himself in one of the rooms and working in silence. He couldn’t face the girl and was afraid both of his and hers reactions. What if she starts a fight between them in front of other team members? Taeyong is more than sure that no one knows anything at this point apart from four people. He also wasn’t sure of his own attitude: Taeyong is not exactly violent in a physical sense, but he can get very emotional and aggressive and this is not a side he wants anyone to see. Part of him thinks he’s just too much of a coward to face the girl and set everything straight with her, but Taeyong knows he did the right thing; Yeri is probably still in her shaken up emotional state and there is a very slim chance that she can think rationally now, meaning that calm conversation is impossible with her. And Taeyong much rather talk without having to raise his voice, because he knows once he does starts shouting he won’t be able to stop.

‘And this will end, I promise,’ Jaehyun pulls him closer and kisses his cheek. ‘I will solve everything with Irene and Yeri.’

‘Yeri?’ Taeyong turns in alpha’s arms, straddling him instead. ‘What are you going to do with her? She’s not… Jaehyun, you know she’s not the problem.’

Alpha frowns. ‘Aren’t you angry with her?’

Honestly? Taeyong is mad. If Yeri didn’t go to Irene maybe no one would have ever known. But the thing is, ff Yeri didn’t go to Irene then someone else would have gone. He now understands clearly that he and Jaehyun didn’t have a chance in this from the start; their team is too close and small, someone was bound to put two and two together anyway. Maybe it would have gotten them more time, yes. But would that actually benefit any of them?

‘If not Yeri then maybe Haechan would have accidentally caught us making out in your office. Maybe Jungwoo would have somehow gotten tad too close to me and got a whiff of my scent, you know how current suppressants are not as strong as previous ones. Wendy could have seen us together in some cafe.’ Taeyong grips Jaehyun’s shoulders before starting to lightly caress them in calming gesture. ‘It would have happened anyway, sooner or later. Yeri just made it sooner.’

Jaehyun’s bottom lip juts out cutely, when he thinks over omega’s words. ‘You’re right.’

‘I usually am, yes.’ Taeyong giggles but then turns serious. ‘You’re not going to give her hell on the work for that, are you?’

Jaehyun shakes his head. His hands slowly travel from Taeyong’s knees to hips, gripping them. He lifts omega’s shirt and smiles, caressing soft skin with his thumbs. Both of them understand why Yeri did it, but at the same time her actions can be easily interpreted as her really caring about company policies, not because she did it out of pure spite.

'No, not really. But I also don’t want her anywhere near me. I think she’ll be fine in Jisung’s team. Or maybe Yuri’s team. Don’t really care as long as she’s not in mine.’

Taeyong frowns, but doesn’t say anything on this. Jaehyun obviously knows better when it comes to his workers, so he won’t meddle. It’s ridiculous how all coherent thoughts fly out of his head, when he has all of alpha’s attention. Jaehyun’s watching him through half lidded eyes, his hands grow bolder and soon he’s mapping omega’s body, eyes glinting with appreciation and it’s too hard to resist. Taeyong licks his lips and lowers his head, Jaehyun meets him halfway as their lips connect in a kiss. Omega’s skin shimmers with anticipation, slowly growing desire because Jaehyun kisses him throughly, plays with his tongue and sucks on it like they are not in the middle of a very important conversation. Taeyong breaks apart, gasps for air and lets out a keen moan when his mate latches on his neck with little bites.

‘Jaehyun,’ Taeyong calls, trying to make alpha pull away. ‘Don’t-’

‘Want to mark you up and do it without thinking that you’ll cover them up because no one can know,’ alpha whispers and licks along stripe from Taeyong’s collarbones right to his chin. ‘Want to kiss you and not think that we might get caught. Want to openly hold your hand anywhere and not care about someone from the work seeing us together.’ He sighs and hugs his mate close, resting his head on Taeyong’s shoulder. ‘God I want this to end just as much as you do.’

Taeyong feels a surge of overwhelming affection and gently pries alpha’s head from his shoulder, meeting his eyes. Omega’s heart swells when he looks at Jaehyun, when he sees all of that love and affection reflected in those dark orbs. He wishes he could take all that tiredness and stress away, wishes he didn’t cause problems to his own mate. Regret tastes like acid in his mouth and he swallows; regret is pointless, it won’t help them move forward. Taeyong leans and captures Jaehyun’s lips in a tender kiss, slow and gentle, full of unsaid words and emotions. He savors familiar taste, sighing into the kiss.

‘I want all of this too,’ omega whispers fervently right into his mate’s mouth. ‘Your mark and hand holding and kisses - all of it. You said yourself that it will end soon. And we will have it all.’

Jaehyun pushes up and they just can’t seem to get enough of each other, kissing doesn’t seem to end. When Taeyong starts feeling dizzy he leans back, sighing in satisfaction once Jaehyun moves his lips to chin and neck, not leaving any place unkissed. Taeyong thinks that regret is useless here, because if he didn’t apply to this company then he’d never have _this_ and this is _everything_. Being in Jaehyun’s arms, feeling that encompassing need and heat, knowing that he’s the reason of all efforts - even if Taeyong was given a chance to turn back time, he’d still apply. Because he can’t _not_ have this.

‘I need to talk to you about something else,’ Jaehyun starts. ‘But don’t interrupt please and hear me out, okay?’

Taeyong feels the tension from alpha and nods. He moves out from his lap and instead sits next to him, cuddling a little. ‘What is it?’

‘I never really told you about my parents,’ Jaehyun bites his lower lip, obviously nervous.

‘They’re divorced, your mom owns a small shop and your dad is a businessman,’ Taeyong recites. He then looks up with a raised eyebrow: ‘Or did you lie?’

‘What? No, I didn’t, it’s all true,’ Jaehyun shakes his head and lightly pinches Taeyong’s side. ‘But thanks for thinking so highly of me.’

‘I think that you’re the best,’ Lee says sincerely and then relaxes in alpha’s hold. ‘So? What about your parents?’

‘My father is one of the business partners of ERG. Have you heard about this company?’ Taeyong shakes his head and Jaehyun continues: ‘Eurasian Resource Group, they specify in exploiting natural resources or something like that. They have branches all over the world and even here there are more international workers than Koreans. Honestly, policy wise they are much more like Europe than Asia. Anyway, father wanted me to study law and go there, but I refused. Still, company is great even if their branch here is very small. And cause their policies are more European, they don’t care about sub-gender-’

‘Jaehyun! You-’ Taeyong tries to stand up, but alpha doesn’t let him.

‘Let me finish,’ he asks and Taeyong nods, already knowing where this is going. ‘I talked to my dad and explained your situation. I didn’t say that we are destined mates, I just told him that we’re together.’ Jaehyun pauses, looking at his mate. ‘Taeyong, he can take you there.’

Taeyong stays silent. He can tell that his lack of reaction puts Jaehyun on alert, how alpha tenses even more like he’s getting ready for a grenade to explode. Taeyong doesn’t answer because he’s trying to decipher his feelings. He’s ashamed that he gotten himself into a situation where another person searches a job for him, but he’s also endlessly thankful.

‘I will give my honest recommendations,’ alpha adds, feeling on edge. ‘Please don’t think that - listen, it’s not like they are taking you immediately on a high position. One month trial period and if you prove yourself only then you’ll be taken. It’s just a good alternative for now.’ Jaehyun takes Taeyong’s hand in his, shaking a little. ‘Babe, it’s just my proposition. You don’t have to take it if you don’t feel comfortable, I just wanted to have something ready in case everything goes to shit. We can search other jobs here, I’m sure we’ll find something for you.’

 _We._ Taeyong looks at alpha and sees hope in his eyes. Hope that Taeyong will understand him and not take it the wrong way. Of course Taeyong can act all prideful and say that he’s not a charity case. If he were twenty he’d definitely acted like that. He was very bratty and radical at twenty and Taeyong silently thanks god for bringing Jaehyun in his life when he’s more grown and mature.

‘You asked your father to take me on a job,’ Taeyong sums up carefully and Jaehyun nods. ‘And he said yes even when he didn’t even see my resume, he just agreed because you’re his son?’

‘Because I’ve never asked him anything,’ Jaehyun corrects. ‘We are not very close, so I never asked any favors from him, never asked for help.’

 _And I wouldn’t have done that if it weren’t for you_ stays unsaid, but Taeyong understands it anyway. When they first arrived to alpha’s apartment Jaehyun told him all about Yukhei’s idea of changing dating policy. Taeyong felt thankful then, happy that Jaehyun has a friend like that, pleased that Yukhei obviously cares about him too. But what Taeyong feels now doesn’t really fit into ‘thankful’ term. What he feels can’t be explained just as ‘thankful’ or ‘grateful’. It’s so much bigger than this. You don’t have to be very smart to realize that going to his father meant stepping on his pride and Jaehyun did that for Taeyong. He was about to bribe a doctor for Taeyong. He was putting his career at risk all for Taeyong. ‘Grateful’ and ‘thankful’ just don’t cut it.

‘If you called me before going to your dad I would have told you not to go,’ Taeyong says quietly. ‘You know that I can’t do it, Jae. I can’t take this proposition.’

Jaehyun winces, looking down at their joined fingers. His scent changes slightly, getting distressed notes. Taeyong squeezes his long fingers in reassurance and alpha looks up. ‘Is it because he’s my father?’

Taeyong nods. ‘That’s one of the reasons. But to be honest since the last time we talked about it I was thinking a lot and… remember how you said that the best way would be for me to finish this project and then leave? The more I think about it, the more it looks like the best decision. We’re set to finish at the end of December, right? I will just leave after we’re done with this project.’

Taeyong doesn’t want to go and Jaehyun knows it very well. He knows that his mate likes it his their company. Anger bubbles in his stomach as he understands that he is not capable of providing safety, reassurance or any better solution. Helplessness overflows in his system and Jaehyun tries hard to stay calm, but Taeyong learned him well enough to quickly catch this act.

‘Jaehyun,’ he calls and kisses his temple. ‘Say something.’

 _I’m sorry that I couldn’t protect you. I’m sorry that I couldn’t offer you anything better. I’m sorry you have to go through this._ But instead alpha lets out: ‘If you don’t want to work for my father then I’ll find something else.’

‘You think I am not capable of finding a work myself?’ Taeyong asks, skeptically rising his eyebrow.

‘No! It’s not about that, I just don’t want you to be in the position where you have to search for work at all!’ _I want to be the one to give it to you. Want you to have no worries, so you’d know that you can count on me._

‘I’m not sure whether I want to kiss you for being so sweet or strangle you for being so overbearing right now,’ Taeyong muses out loud, looking at alpha.

‘Kissing definitely sounds better,’ Jaehyun mutters and receives a light slap on the shoulder.

‘I made up my mind,’ omega announces and stretches, standing up. ‘I will leave this company once we finish up the project.’

‘And then what?’ Jaehyun stands up too, frowning.

‘We cross that bridge once we get there,’ Taeyong confidently replies. He’s tired, worn out and sleepy. ‘Let’s just survive tomorrow and then we can think about future. I better go home.’

Jaehyun orders him a taxi and they stay wrapped in each other until message to the phone doesn’t signal them that taxi is waiting. They move towards the corridor when two knocks on the door make them pause. Jaehyun hasn’t been expecting guests - he never does - and Yukhei never knocks cause he knows the password and just lets himself in. Taeyong steps a bit closer when Jaehyun opens the door and blinks at the sight of a beautiful dark-haired woman.

‘I forgot the password,’ she says, rolling her eyes and proceeding to hug Jaehyun. When she lets go of him her gaze focuses on Taeyong and her eyes grow impossibly big. ‘Oh my- are you Taeyong?’

Taeyong nods, offering shy smile back. He’s a bit confused and shoots Jaehyun a glance, prompting him to introduce them. Alpha sighs and ignores the way woman jumps on her place, clapping like a little child once she took off her shoes.

‘This is-’ Jaehyun starts, but gets interrupted as she rushes to Taeyong’s side excitedly.

‘Hi, I’m Seulgi!’ She shakes startled omega’s hand, smiling. ‘So nice to finally meet you! Oh my god I can’t believe it, of course Jaehyun would be that lucky to snug himself such a cutie!’

‘Seulgi, please,’ Jaehyun cringes, gripping bridge of his nose with two fingers. ‘Don’t make it awkward.’

‘You’re the only who ever makes anything awkward,’ she retorts before turning her attention fully back at Taeyong. ‘I wanted to meet you for so long! Too bad we have to meet under these kind of circumstances but you know, if you are free next week-’

‘Taeyong has a taxi waiting for him,’ Jaehyun buts in, gently taking his mate’s hand and guiding him towards the exit. ‘And why did you even come in the first place?’

‘Aren’t you the best friend,’ Seulgi rolls her eyes. ‘Yukhei called and told me everything, so I came to talk and to offer help.’ She turns to Taeyong and lightly pinches his cheek. ‘So glad I did, we finally met!’

Taeyong doesn’t even know what to say; he’s half amused by Seulgi’s antics and her obvious excitement to see him, but he’s also a bit uncomfortable. However, she’s Jaehyun’s friend and she came to help, for which Taeyong is very grateful for, so he offers a quiet: 'Nice to meet you too.’

‘You’re so cute!’ Seulgi squeals and again tries to pinch his cheeks, but Jaehyun catches her wrists looking like he’ll die from embarrassment in the next few seconds. ‘Jae!’

‘This is why Yukhei meets anyone important to me first, he never behaves like that,’ he mutters and ignores Seulgi’s pout. ‘Just wait here, I need to walk Taeyong to his taxi.’

‘Bye, Taeyongie!’ Seulgi waves and Taeyong waves back, albeit a bit awkwardly, exiting apartment.

‘For god sakes,’ Jaehyun urgently closes the door and breathes out, cringing. ‘She’s not very familiar with a concept of personal space with strangers, I’m sorry. Let’s go, taxi is waiting.’

‘She’s…nice,’ Taeyong lets out and Jaehyun barks out a laughs at that. ‘No, she really is! Very…excited for meeting me. It’s kinda cute. Besides, she came to help so you should be nicer.’

Jaehyun sighs and rolls his eyes. They hold hands in the elevator and Taeyong hums in satisfaction, when alpha pulls him close once they exit, wrapping one arm around his waist.

‘Don’t think about anything, okay? Leave everything to me, I promise everything will be alright,’ Jaehyun whispers into his temple.

Taeyong hides a big smile and instead looks up and plants a small kiss on alpha’s cheek. ‘I said that I trust you. Don’t stress yourself out too much.’

Jaehyun smiles and walks him to the car. He opens the door for Taeyong and once omega sits, he bends over so their faces are on same level. ‘See you tomorrow. Text me once you get home.’

Taeyong nods. ‘Don’t stress too much,’ he repeats and Jaehyun chuckles. ‘Till tomorrow.’

Alpha stares at him with something incomprehensible. Taeyong blinks and with shock realizes that Jaehyun’s about to say these three words to him right now. He panics and hurriedly closes the door right when he sees that Jaehyun’s about to open his mouth. Last thing he sees is Jaehyun’s laughing face as he shakes his head in amusement. Taeyong bites his lower lip, trying hard not to scream. He wants to hear these words once he’ll also feel confident in saying them back. Which is very soon, he believes.

Jaehyun watches car till it doesn’t turn into a little dot and only then goes back to his apartment, already knowing that he’s in it for a long night with Seulgi. Alpha pauses in front of his door, automatically typing in the password. It takes him two seconds to realize that he still has Chenle’s birthday as his password and this thought disturbs him to no extent. He comes in and waves to Seulgi, who stands up from sofa and walks towards him.

‘What are you doing?’ She asks curiously, peeking from his shoulder.

‘Changing the password,’ he replies, entering new digits into the system.

‘To Taeyong’s birthday now?’ Seulgi coos, hugging him from behind. ‘That’s too cute.’

‘To the day we first met,’ Jaehyun corrects.

His password told a lot; it’s like he was all about Chenle and Chenle only. He didn’t want to make the same for Taeyong, because this time it’s not about Taeyong. It’s about _them_. When he turns Seulgi has a serious expression on her face, all traces of smile long gone.

‘So. Irene, huh?’

+=+

‘And I was like wait, I know this guy cause I have a good memory on handsome faces and then I was like oh shit that’s Winwinnie’s boyfriend and then I turn to Winwin but he doesn’t see him and then this guy says in that sultry voice of his that his name is Lucas and smiles at me and I’m like oooh damn and then I pass cup to Winwin and then I attend to another customers and then you know what? I turn to Winwin to pass another cup and he’s not there! And I was like what the fuck? Where did he go? And I look at the doors and I see he’s standing outside with his boyfriend and I’m like oooh okay-okay, I’ll let Winwin have some boo time and then-’

‘Will there ever be any point in this story?’ Jeno asks, looking very unimpressed.

‘You know what? Fuck you, I was going to tell that I interrupted Winwin’s kiss with his hot bae, but now-’

‘Winwin is literally right behind you.’

Mark blanches and turns with a startle, eyes comically wide. Sicheng pats his shoulder and passes to Jeno, biding his goodbye. It’s close to ten p.m. and he’s tired after a hectic day at work and usually listening to Mark’s random and never having a point stories is nice, but he’s just really done for today.

‘Don’t forget to check everything twice when you close,’ he reminds boys, who nod. ‘And don’t stay up too long.’

‘Just go already,’ Jeno waves him off. ‘Isn’t your boyfriend waiting?’

Sicheng’s heart flutters. _Boyfriend._ Thank god he can still call Yukhei that. He waves to boys and zips his bomber jacket, preparing to get out in the cold. November this year really beats all records with the amount of rain and cold weather, so he started taking scarves and gloves with him, not wanting to freeze. Sicheng walks out and stops when he can’t see Yukhei anywhere. Alpha’s car also is not parked anywhere close and that is even when Sicheng told to meet him at nine thirty and now it’s almost ten p.m. His heart drops somewhere down and stomach flips inside at the sinking fear crawling up his spine. _Is Yukhei not coming?_ What if he just played Sicheng like that? Beta shakes his head. No, Yukhei would never do that. He’s not the type to play with someone’s feelings. Sicheng already was swayed to think bad about him and saw the consequences of it, so he doesn’t allow his thoughts to go down that path again. _He’s just late, got caught up at work._ Young boy moves to the corner, not wanting Mark and Jeno to see him through the windows. He wraps a scarf around his neck, cursing himself for forgetting about his beanie. Sicheng hides his hands in the pockets of a bomber jacket and sighs. Yukhei is going to come, he’s sure of it. If something happened then he would have called. Sicheng refuses to think anything else. Even if he did say to alpha that they are good, some anxiety and doubt still linger at the back of his mind. If Yukhei decides to somehow punish him - Sicheng’s more than okay to take it, he fucked up after all. But not like alpha’s going to behave this way - Yukhei is too good for that. He’s in general too good for Sicheng. Sound of brakes pulled harshly brings him back to reality. When Sicheng looks up he feels like he can fully breathe again, because it’s Yukhei. His heart hammers in his chest and beta can’t help but smile widely, eagerly getting into the car. Relief that alpha came threatens to make him cry, but he holds it in, quickly closing the door and turning around.

‘I’m sorry!’ Yukhei exclaims once Sicheng got inside. ‘God, did you wait for long? I didn’t think I’d be that late.’

‘It’s alright,’ Sicheng assures him. _You came and that’s the most important thing_.

‘Did you stay at the cold for long?’ Yukhei looks him over and frowns. ‘Your ears are red, where’s your hat?’

Sicheng doesn’t answer and just watches with a smile as alpha fusses over him, touching his face and hands. Yukhei turns on the heat in the car, nags Sicheng for being so forgetful and it is _wonderful._ To be the center of alpha’s attention and affection sends tingling sensation all over beta’s body and he just smiles happily. He missed that. He thought he won’t have it again. Yukhei pauses and reaches out to backseat with his hand.

‘I was late because… did you know that flower shops work only till nine?’

Sicheng blinks and freezes, when Yukhei pulls out a beautiful bouquet from the backseat. It’s not big, filled with seven snapdragons of different colors and few white petunias. Wrapped in a brown paper this bouquet takes Sicheng’s breath away with it’s uniqueness. His eyes sting and he quickly blinks few times, feeling lump in his throat. Why Yukhei is like that? Why he makes Sicheng feel all those feelings for the first time?

‘Do you like it?’ Yukhei asks, breaking the silence.

‘No one ever gave me bouquets before,’ Sicheng says, unable to look away from beautiful flowers. He gingerly reaches out and carefully traces soft petals, inhaling their aroma. ‘They are so pretty.’

He doesn’t see how alpha’s eyes soften at that and how he smiles fondly. Yukhei reaches out and brushes his hand on boy’s cheek, making him look up. ‘Not prettier than you.’

Sicheng blushes and looks down again. He’s speechless. Astonished, really. He’s never been given a bouquet before and Sicheng always thought that flowers are for the girls, at least they are the ones who always seem on the receiving end of bouquets. Of course he’s seen flowers being gifted to guys, but only after performances or something like that, not … just because. Sicheng doesn’t know what to say, how to convey what he feels, when he doesn’t fully understand it himself. Yukhei seems to get it, cause he chuckles and leans closer, face few inches away from his.

‘Did I actually manage to leave you speechless?’ He asks, smiling. ‘Are you that taken aback by this bouquet?’

Yukhei didn’t expect a reaction like this. If anything he was very nervous about his choice of flowers, because alpha usually buys grand bouquets, fifty-one roses kind of thing, so this one looked almost ridiculously small to him. But it turned out finding working flowers shops after nine around this area was a tough mission and the only one that worked had flowers that Yukhei has never even seen before. Desire to gift Sicheng a bouquet was spontaneous and when he realized that he never gave flowers to the boy, Yukhei just rushed to buy anything that looks more or less presentable. But he never thought that Sicheng will like it that much. This bouquet is nowhere near what Yukhei _can_ give, what he _wants_ to give and the fact that Sicheng is so thankful even for this little composition warms alpha’s heart.

‘It’s beautiful,’ Sicheng lets out and slowly looks up. ‘Thank you. You-’

‘-Didn’t have to, yes, I know,’ Yukhei finishes for him, rolling his eyes. ‘But I-’

‘-Wanted to, yes, I know.’ Sicheng interrupts and smiles back at alpha, who beams at him like a sun that he is. ‘Thank you. These flowers are wonderful.’

 _You are wonderful,_ Sicheng wants to say, but stays silent. Yukhei looks at him with dancing stars in his eyes, so pretty and alluring that not to kiss him counts for a crime. Sicheng carefully puts flowers on his lap and leans closer. Yukhei, to his dismay, doesn’t move to meet him halfway as he usually does; instead he stays frozen, eyes watching Sicheng’s face intently. It makes beta want to cower, but he persists and captures alpha’s lips with his own. To have Yukhei respond to the kiss is heavenly. It makes Sicheng’s blood sing and his heart pump too quickly. He shivers when alpha’s big hand pulls him even closer by the nap of his neck, deepening the kiss. It leaves Sichng breathless, this slight possessiveness that alpha puts in a way he holds him, this obvious need and desire that he shows through the kiss; his head spins with it, making him feel like he’s getting drunk. Sicheng gasps for air but Yukhei pulls him right back in, claiming his lips. Alpha never kissed him like that, never with this much heat and Sicheng finds himself moaning into Yukhei’s mouth, gripping his hands. Yukhei’s answering groan to his moan surprises beta and he breaks the kiss, but Yukhei keeps him at the place with his grip on the neck. Both of them are breathing heavily and Sicheng’s lips are burning from the kiss. He wants to touch them but Yukhei beats him to it; alpha raises his left hand and traces beta’s lips with his thumb. It’s a strangely intimate gesture that knocks air out of Sicheng’s lungs. God, being with Yukhei has serious consequences on his health.

‘Let’s go to my home,’ alpha whispers into this little space between them. Sicheng freezes.

He blinks, looking up with surprise written all over his face. ‘You mean…’

Yukhei doesn’t seem to understand his reaction at first and then his eyes grow wide and he pulls back, blinking quickly. ‘Not like- I didn’t mean.. I just- you’ve never been in my house and I’m too tired to go anywhere right now, so-’

‘Okay,’ Sicheng interrupts alpha’s blabbering. ‘It’s okay, let’s go there.’

Yukhei still is not sure, frowning. ‘I know I said I’ll take you out tonight, but today was a rather stressful day at work and I just don’t have any energy-’

‘Yukhei,’ Sicheng calls and squeezes his hand. ‘I understand, it’s alright. If you want I can just catch a taxi to my own home, so you can go and rest.’

Sicheng is absolutely honest. Fact that Yukhei came was already more than enough for him and he knows they can spend time together anyway since they’re no longer in a fight, so he won’t be disappointed if they part now. Alpha searches for something in beta’s face and then sighs in relief. He smiles, patting Sicheng’s thigh.

‘No, let’s go to my home? I’ll show you around, we’ll talk for a bit. I want to spend time with you even just a little.’

This declaration makes Sicheng smile happily. His heart flutters of the realization that alpha still likes him, still wants to spend time with him. This affirmation was incredibly important. Sicheng nods and leans back on the seat, listening to Yukhei talk about his day. When alpha tells him about his actions towards changing policy in the company Sicheng first can’t even believe it. He’s surprised by the way Yukhei presents it so casually like it’s a big deal when it obviously is. Sicheng stays silent but observes alpha intently and notices how happy older male is from being able to help his friend out.

‘That’s really great,’ Sicheng comments. ‘Jaehyun’s lucky to have you as a friend.’

Yukhei glances at him and then wiggles his eyebrows. ‘Just like you’re lucky to have me as your boyfriend?’

Sicheng nods, face serious. ‘Very lucky.’

Yukhei blinks and then smiles so wide that beta almost wants to close his eyes from brightness. ‘Don’t say things like that when I can’t kiss you!’

Sicheng blushes and quickly leans in, pecking Yukhei’s cheek. Alpha looks shocked at that, but then hums, obviously pleased by his boyfriend becoming more forward and open in his show of affection. Yukhei then talks about his client and gives Sicheng details, lets him know about next few meetings where beta should be present too. Later he proceeds to ask Sicheng about his studies and his friends, cutely nervous when he wants to know what Xiao and Hendery thought of him.

‘They didn’t say much,’ Sicheng answers and laughs at fallen expression on alpha’s face. ‘You left that day at the cinema!’

‘I hope they don’t think I’m an asshole,’ Yukhei mutters, parking swiftly.

 _No, they think my parents are assholes._ Sicheng doesn’t want to talk about how he spend last weekend. He was wallowing himself in self-pity until Xiao and Hendery didn’t come to bring him out of the pit. Sicheng didn’t tell everything to his friends, but he talked about his parents and received somewhat harsh advices paired with strong support. (‘ _We are there for you, Winwinnie!_ ’ Xiaojun said, hugging him tight.) Hendery proposed Sicheng to distance himself from parents, cutting any conversation to the bare minimum. (‘ _Don’t tell them about your dance practice. What’s the point if their responses only make you sad, if they give you zero support? Just don’t talk about anything personal to you, don’t let them in or they will shit on everything you love and leave you broken like that. Put a distance, boundaries, I don’t know what. They shouldn’t make you feel miserable, Winwin, that’s not what parents should do._ ’) Sicheng thought a lot about it and decided to somehow follow Hendery’s advice. He’s not naive and knows that it won’t be that easy to do, but Sicheng is dead on set in not letting their opinion affect him that much. Because he listened to them he almost missed his chance in friendship with Xiao and Hendery, because he listened to them he hurt Yukhei. Last time alpha told him that he has his own head on the shoulders and Sicheng’s going to use it, this time. Beta shakes his head and follows alpha to his home. Yukhei, to his surprise, doesn’t live in some new and super modern or fashionable apartment in the center. Alpha’s home is placed closer to the outskirts of the town in a quiet area known for being packed with nursing homes and special care centers. Five-floor blocks (not your usual skyscrapers) are everywhere and when Sicheng is being led to a white apartment building with a rather old fence he can’t help but ask alpha why of all places he chose this one.

‘My grandmother used to stay in one of the nursing homes in this area,’ Yukhei replies, fiddling with the key. ‘I lived here when I came back from China and then I moved my grandma back to my parents and just stayed. It’s quiet, peaceful, has a lot of home restaurants around. I don’t know, I like it.’

Sicheng likes it too. Whole area gives out homey vibes, looks very cozy even at the first glance. It reminds Sicheng of his childhood home. He looks around and breaks out in laughter. ‘Your car stands out so much here.’

It is true, alpha’s sleek and speedy mercedes doesn’t look at home with old toyotas and nissans. Yukhei chuckles and gets embarrassed, scratching back of his neck. ‘Yeah, well. I couldn’t settle for something else in order to blend in.’

There is an elevator inside, but it’s old and small, so they go up using stairs as alpha lives on the second floor. Sicheng expects his apartment to be in minimalistic style, but again is surprised to find how far from truth his guess was. Apartment itself is not big, but instead of a neo design and minimalism, Sicheng sees nice well lived home with furniture in classical style with many wooden elements. Big and fluffy pillows, heavy curtains, soft carpets and wooden floor. It’s not messy per se, but Yukhei evidently is not a fan of putting things back to their places: two pair of socks lay somewhere under the table, unfinished ramen cups on the sofa along with several paper stacks. There are photos in frames in the living room and many small statues in forms of most popular buildings of different countries and even few dinner plates from Turkey on the wall. This apartment has it’s own character, it’s incredibly warm and smells like Yukhei and Sicheng _loves_ it.

‘Tea?’ Yukhei asks from the kitchen. ‘Don’t think that coffee is a good idea now.’

‘Tea sounds great,’ Sicheng answers and walks to his boyfriend.

Yukhei’s standing with his back to him, filling kettle with water. Sicheng steps to the fridge, smiling at cute magnets from all over the world, all colorful and pretty. When he turns Yukhei already put the kettle on and was rummaging his cupboard, obviously looking for tea bags. Sicheng thinks that instead of going out they can just always hang out here, this place is so comfortable and nice that he kinda doesn’t want to leave.

‘I have four different sorts of green tea and one black,’ Yukhei informs, squinting at the boxes. ‘Which one?’

‘Black,’ Sicheng says and comes closer. He has a growing itch to just touch alpha to confirm that he’s here, that this is not a too real dream of his. Sicheng wants to wrap his arms around Yukhei’s waist but hesitates, not knowing if alpha will be okay with him being a bit more affectionate than usual. What if Yukhei thinks he’s acting clingy? ‘Which one do you like?’

‘Green one with mint,’ Yukhei picks tea bags for both of them and turns. He leans on the kitchen cabinet and stares at Sicheng with a tired smile. Alpha is barely standing on his feet from exhaustion and his tongue runs free with no mouth-to-head filter. ‘You look _so_ good. In _my_ home. In _my_ kitchen. I like it.’

Sicheng blinks and wills himself not to blush. Out of tiredness Yukhei’s slurs a bit and his voice has this gravelly tone to it that really shouldn’t be that attractive. Yukhei’s scent grows deeper and Sicheng shivers, registering small arousal notes. Atmosphere suddenly changes as they stare at each other in silence, two feet away. Sicheng is the one who breaks the distance, feeling suddenly brave. He cuts space between them and this time Yukhei doesn’t just stand and wait, alpha reaches out and pulls him closer, slotting their mouths together. Kiss is exhilarating, tingling sensation making Sicheng squirm in alpha’s hold. They kiss almost lazily, but throughly, tongues and all, hands exploring each other’s bodies. Yukhei never initiated anything beyond the kiss and Sicheng was thankful for that, because he feels too close to heart attack just from kissing alone. He leans back, blushing at the spit connecting their mouths and then sighs in pleasure, when alpha starts mapping his neck with his lips. Yukhei sucks a bit at the skin and pulls, enjoying squirming beta in his hold; he leans back to admire red spot he left and smiles, satisfied. He’d gladly go further, but Sicheng is obviously not ready and Yukhei doesn’t want anything if the answer to it is not a hundred percent yes. The way Sicheng initiated few things today is more than enough for him now, he doesn’t want to ask for more. Behind them kettle whistles and Yukhei moves them to the side, kissing Sicheng’s head and then going to make tea. It gives Sicheng time to calm his racing heartbeat and take a deep breath. He never felt anything like this during the kiss. It’s dizzying and magical and scary. Sicheng can’t wait to do it again.

‘Here,’ Yukhei hands him steaming cup. ‘I don’t think I have anything to eat apart from snacks like chips. I don’t really eat at home a lot.’

‘It’s alright, I’m not hungry,’ Sicheng lies and hisses when hot liquid burns his lips. ‘Ouch.’

Yukhei chuckles and steps closer, taking Sicheng’s cup in his hand and blowing on it. Sicheng stares at the way eyelids fan on alpha’s tan skin and fears that his heartbeat can be heard from standing this close. Yukhei takes a sip and seemingly satisfied hands him cup right back.

‘You’re really tired,’ Sicheng says after few minutes of comfortable silence. ‘I should go.’

‘I’ll drive you.’

‘No, I’m ordering taxi and you’re going to rest,’ Sicheng’s tone is firm. ‘Don’t bother arguing.’

‘Oh, you became bolder, Sichengie,’ Yukhei notes, laughing.

Sicheng pauses, looking up. ‘You like it better when I’m like that?’

‘I just like you. Bold or shy, doesn’t really matter.’ Yukhei reaches out and gently grazes his knuckles over Sicheng’s cheek. ‘You are still you, after all.’

Sicheng busies himself with ordering a taxi, so he would not have to think about the response to what Yukhei said. Alpha’s word always seem to get to the core of him, make him wither and bend, lost in unfamiliar emotions. He looks up only when pair of strong arms circles around his waist and warm lips are pressed to his forehead. Yukhei stays like that for few seconds and then goes to the living room, leaving his unfinished cup of tea behind. Sicheng bites his tongue in order not to say something foolish like _come back_ or _i miss your warmth_. Sicheng, more out of habit than of any obligation, quickly washes their cups and only then follows. His taxi has already arrived and he’s about to inform his boyfriend of that when he sees Yukhei already putting on his shoes.

‘You are so tired, you don’t have to walk me to the car,’ Sicheng says, although inside of him everything sparkles.

‘What if someone robs you on a way?’ Yukhei argues.

‘Who? Old ladies?’

Sicheng snorts and Yukhei says something back. Their easy banter continues till they reach the car and beta is struck with a feeling of not wanting to go. Not wanting to leave. He usually is very good with hiding his emotions, but it’s always been difficult to do with Yukhei, so Sicheng doesn’t even try to do it nowadays. Alpha sees his expression and smiles lovingly, hugging him.

‘See you soon?’ Sicheng asks with a hope way too obvious in his voice.

‘Of course,’ Yukhei kisses his cheek. ‘After all of this is over we need to go out, all of us. You, me, Jaehyun and Taeyong.’

‘What is over?’ Sicheng asks curiously and frowns when Yukhei shakes his head. ‘Tell me!’

‘Taeyong will tell you,’ Yukhei says, opening car’s door for him. ‘Don’t worry, yeah? And text me when you get home.’

Sicheng pouts a little, but nods. He whispers ‘bye’ and smiles at the way Yukhei pecks his lips. Alpha waves at him when he sits into the car and continues waving while they drive off. Sicheng’s heart is both at ease and flourishes with unknown feelings and emotions. When he walks back to his apartment he thinks Seoul smells differently tonight. It smells like love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for all of the jaeyong and luwin fans out there <3 
> 
> in next chapter we will finally end this arc about yeri and work, woop-woop! and theeeen FLUFF will be restored in this kingdom because!! we need fluff during these times :( 
> 
> as always let me know your thoughts!! <3 ALSO did you see life corp ep 8 where EVERYONE FROM WAYV IS IN A SUIT??? i passed away for that reason, they all looked SO FREAKING GOOD 
> 
> hope all of you are happy and healthy! sending you tightest hugs ever, stay safe <3 
> 
> p.s. title from panic! at the disco 'high hopes' and prev chapter was 'way down we go' by kaleo


	18. of good friends and cutting ties

When Taeyong receives a meeting invitation from Irene first thing in the morning he’s not even surprised. Being fully aware that this’s going to happen, when he came to work he simply went to the kitchen, staying there with his coffee, waiting to be called. He felt jittery and tried to calm his nerves with strong black coffee, but it didn’t work. Lee thought about it whole night, not being able to get even a glimpse of sleep. The more he thought about the whole situation the more confident he became in his decision. He needs to leave. It will be better for him and, most importantly, for Jaehyun too. So closer to the morning he felt more or less assured, ready for whatever outcome that was waiting for him in the end. However, as he walked to Irene’s office, his pulse quickened. In the morning he used his old suppressants, stronger ones, just in case. Trying not to look like he’s on the verge of a panic attack, Lee knocks twice and takes a deep breath. Does he trust Jaehyun? He does. And Jaehyun is not alone, he has Yukhei and Seulgi with him, who were eager to help. Taeyong just has to trust and have faith. _It’s going to be okay_.

‘Come in!’ Irene rises from her seat to greet him and smiles. She looks rather friendly and Taeyong tries to act natural and smile back, but he’s sure he’s grimacing instead of smiling. Stomach tied in knots, he gingerly sits down and freezes under Irene’s intense gaze. ‘Don’t look so frightened,’ she says in a supposedly reassuring manner, but it only makes Lee even more nervous. ‘How are you? How is it going? You’re rather new in our company after all.’

Small talks irritate Taeyong, because he’d rather pass all those pleasantries and just get straight to the point. But he still puts on a smile and answers in - what he hopes - an excited way, sincerely talking about how much he likes it here. He talks about his colleagues and this time he doesn’t have to fake a smile, because he doesn’t have to lie here. He laughs a little talking about Jungwoo and Haechan, feeling a bit more comfortable once he has to talk about people he likes.

‘And what about Mr.Jung? How is he as your boss?’

Irene’s scrutinizes him. It’s like she’s trying to read him, get under his skin and it’s annoying. Taeyong reminds himself that she’s just another manager. And then he thinks of Jaehyun and of how much he’s proud to have him as his mate. After that thought he refuses to tremble, hide and feel like a lamb in front of a big wolf. He’s not a lamb and Jaehyun’s not the only one who can protect.

‘He’s great,’ he answers easily, boldly meeting Irene’s gaze straight on. ‘We get along well and he’s someone from whom I can learn a lot.’

Irene is obviously waiting for more, but Taeyong shuts his mouth and smiles. His very generic answer did not please HR director, but she still says: ‘Good to hear!’ and leans closer.

Taeyong is not sure whether he’s imagining it or not, but to him it seems like Irene is trying to discreetly scent him. Which is…disturbing, awkward and did she honestly think that Taeyong is that dumb and he forgot about company policies about wearing scent blockers? Did she think she can catch him like that? He discreetly rolls his eyes. That’s rather insulting to his intelligence.

‘Taeyong, I hope you won’t mind me asking you to go to the Sundae hospital over here and do a very simple medical check-up,’ she says after a while, handing him a document. ‘It’s the same hospital to which we’re assigned to as a company, the one in your insurance policy. You can just go there, it’s just around the block, give them this card and do a check-up completely for free.’

Taeyong takes the document and sees his insurance number at the top of it. Jaehyun warned him about this, but Irene doesn’t know that, so he acts clueless. ‘May I ask why?’

‘I’m afraid I can’t disclose the reason now,’ Irene says, looking apologetic. ‘But it’s not with an ill intention. We just need to check few things.’

‘Am I the only one who needs to do this?’ Taeyong asks and almost gags when Irene tells him that few more people where asked to do the same. Her ability to lie that flawlessly while looking so sincere astonishes omega. Also disgusts him. ‘Well, if you say so.’

‘It’d be better for you to go now, results will be ready in few hours, ask your doctor to send them by email at the bottom of the list.’ Irene stands up and Taeyong takes that as a cue to stand up as well. ‘This information is confidential, you don’t have to worry for that final document being seen by anyone other than me.’

Taeyong does’t even have to act uncomfortable, because he genuinely is; discomfort settles deep in his chest and it’s probably obvious on his face as Irene sighs and pats his shoulder reassuringly. She tells him not to worry and Taeyong has to resist the urge to shake her hand off his shoulder or do something crazy like actually confront her right now. He never knew it before, but it’s impossible to stand with a lying person, especially when you know that they are lying.

‘I’ll be going then,’ he mutters and she nods. ‘Do I need to stop by here once I’m done?’

‘No, that won’t be necessary. And Taeyong, no need to tell about this to anyone, alright?’

Taeyong bites his lower lip. God how much he just wants to _scream_. ‘Sure.’

On shaky legs he exits her office and goes straight to his place, nodding to everyone he sees. Taeyong almost trips on his own feet, when he sees Lucas standing right next to his chair, talking with Wendy.

‘Hi!’ Wendy waves at him, when he comes closer. ‘Mr.Wong was wondering about matrix that you made, I was telling him how easy to understand you made everything. Can you show him, please?’

‘Um,’ Taeyong blinks, trying to settle in the hurricane inside him. ‘I actually have to go now-’

‘Just give me a quick view!’ Lucas insists and turns away from Wendy. He steps closer to Taeyong, smiling. Lucas forcefully makes omega sit and leans in, his lips brushing Taeyong’s ear as he whispers so low that only Lee can hear: ‘ _Which hospital?’_

Taeyong automatically enters password to his laptop, vibrating with nerves. _He was so calm in the morning, what the hell is happening to him now?_! He waits for the system to load and whispers just as quietly as Lucas did: ‘Sundae, around the block.’

‘Can you please show this matrix to Renjun?’ Lucas asks louder, so that anyone who’s near can hear. ‘I’ll tell him to come up to you once you’re free. We need something like this for our own project too.’

‘Alright,’ Lee says, looking at the matrix shown on the screen.

He’s not sure what’s going on and barely can hear anything over a drumming pulse in his ears. _Calm down, just calm down._ Taeyong takes a deep breath and Lucas leans on the other side, takes Taeyong’s mouse and starts clicking on random tables in the matrix, saying something about how user friendly it looks. Wendy also comments what a great work Taeyong did, but omega barely responds, too wrapped up in his feelings and thoughts.

‘Great, thanks for showing me! I’ll tell Renjun to come up to you after lunch!’ Lucas says loudly and then goes for a side hug, whispering into Taeyong’s ear: ‘ _Don’t worry about it._ ’

Taeyong pauses and they share a look. Unsaid understanding passes between them in these few seconds that make omega relax. Lucas smiles and squeezes his shoulder in a silent _we got you covered_ to which Taeyong responds with a smile that says _thank you_. Lucas winks and goes away, Taeyong hurriedly scrambling to also rush to the hospital. On his way to the elevator he notices Yeri, who stands not so far from him, talking on the phone. When they eyes meet she pales and freezes. Her hand with a phone slowly falls down and she looks like she’s about to come up to Taeyong, so omega presses on the button harder, thanking gods when elevator doors slide open. He hears tell-tale sound of her heels clicking on the floor, meaning she’s trying to catch up with him and- Taeyong just can’t do it now. He’ll have to face her eventually, but not now. Insistently pressing on ‘close doors’ button he sighs in relief when Yeri is a bit too late and doors already are closed by the time she appears. Taeyong manages to see her face with guilt written all over it, but he looks away, staring down at his feet. No. Whatever Yeri is feeling - he’s feeling it two times worse. Her apologies just won’t do a thing to him now.

Lee exits the building and check his phone, just in case. He really wants to call Jaehyun, wants to hear his mate’s voice telling him that everything is going be fine and that he doesn’t have to worry. Or better, wants Jaehyun to be next to him now, holding his hand and hugging him tight. But it’s unreal, would cause so many questions and Taeyong _hates_ it. He feels like he’s dating some celebrity and has to pretend that they are not together, be a secret to not let fans be upset over the whole thing. It’s _ridiculous_. He marches to the hospital in long and fast strides, just wanting it to be over and done with. Besides, November cold bites into his skin, coloring his cheeks and ears red. Sundae hospital appears after he turns to the right and he sighs in relief, almost running there. Inside it’s clean, smells like medicine and, most importantly, warm. Taeyong rubs his hands together, curses himself for not listening to Sicheng and forgetting his gloves at home. There’s a small queue in the entry and Taeyong obediently stands in the line. Inside the pocket he squeezes document that Irene gave him and decides not to think about this issue at all. He has no desire to put himself into a frenzy, so instead he thinks about other things. He thinks about upcoming Christmas and how for the first time he’s going to be in a relationship during that time. His mind supplies him with number of gifts for Jaehyun and Sichengie and Kun and Johnny; this thought makes him smile. He thinks about visiting his parents next week, cause it’s been too long since he did. He dreams of being somewhere far from here, somewhere warm with a beach and crystal clear sea. Taeyong thinks of huge list of vitamins and supplements that he needs to buy for him and Sicheng once he receives his salary. His thoughts drift too far from this hospital so when he’s being called omega startles, taking a step back.

‘Sorry, erm,’ he hands receptionist the document. ‘I’m here for a medical check-up.’

‘Sure, Mr.Lee, wait a bit,’ girl behind the desk types his insurance number into the system and then gives him his document back. ‘Third floor, room 32. Mr.Seo will proceed with a check-up.’

Taeyong bows and looks around. Lucas asking him which hospital he will go to made sense and he thought that maybe he’ll see either him or Jaehyun here, but corridors are empty and he doesn’t see anyone familiar out from the people in the queue. _Don’t worry about it._ Taeyong braces himself: so many people are out there, helping him out and he just can’t not trust them, belittle their efforts. Omega takes several calming breaths while in the elevator and once he’s on the third floor he feels a bit better. _Have faith_. He waits around ten minutes and then Mr.Seo invites him in and asks several standard questions before proceeding with a check-up. Everything goes rather smoothly and Taeyong learns that his eyesight has gotten worse and then he’s asked to do a blood test and then come back. Never a fan of any needles or sight of blood Taeyong passes all of this with barely open eyes. He squints at his finger once it’s done, leaving lab with the cutest pout on his face. Hospitals are not his favorite and he usually avoids them like a plague, so being here and having to pass blood test does make him want to whine and throw a tantrum like a little child. Omega looks up and his jaw meets the floor when he sees Seulgi leaning casually on the wall close to the stairs. There are around five people on the floor but Taeyong has tunnel vision on this girl. She dressed in all black and baseball cap hides half of her face, but it’s Seulgi, he’s hundred percent sure of it. She’s looking at her phone but when she turns and meets his gaze, she makes absolutely no sign that she recognized him. _What?_ Taeyong even blinks few times, starting to think that maybe he’s having some hallucinations. It’s Seulgi, that’s for sure. Did she not recognize him? Instead of coming to say hi, she walks closer and asks in the most indifferent tone:

‘Are you done? I’m next in the line for a blood test.’

Taeyong’s mouth opens and then closes. He swallows and dumbly nods. ‘Y-yeah, I’m done.’

‘Okay.’ She passes, brushing past him.

Taeyong would have sworn he’s losing his mind if only he didn’t feel her fingers quickly squeezing his in the passing. Door opens and closes behind him and omega resists an urge to turn and go back, talk with Seulgi. On an autopilot he goes back to the doctor’s office even if being here is the last thing he wants. Taeyong has many questions, no answers and not knowing what is going on messes with his head big time. He tries to concentrate on the questions he’s being asked but his brain malfunctions.

‘Mr.Lee, are you okay?’ Doctor Seo asks, frowning. ‘You turned pale.’

Taeyong gulps. ‘I’m fine!’

Doctor doesn’t look reassured, but continues on anyway: ‘You said that results need to be sent to email address. Which one?’

Taeyong again hands the document and looks towards the door. Is Seulgi still here? Can he catch her? Can they talk? He brings his attention back to the doctor, who sums up results and tells him that his blood test results will be ready in two hours. Taeyong nods, thanks him and bows before leaving. His heart gallops inside his chest and he has to lean on the wall to support himself. Thankfully there’s no one around and he spends few minutes just breathing, remembering Kun’s technique. Taeyong can’t explain what exactly has gotten him so worked up, but evidently his stress about the situation finally caught up with him in a full force. Two hours before the test results that are going to show that he’s an omega. How he’s going to survive this wait? Taeyong wants to wail and climb on the walls; it’s horrible. He takes the stairs and slowly goes down, thinking everything over. Jaehyun’s supposed to be in a meeting with a client on their factory now and Taeyong knows he shouldn’t call, _knows_ he should be better, but he still picks up his phone and dials alpha’s number with shaking hands. To his surprise Jaehyun answers immediately, sounding like he’s running:

‘Babe? Sweetheart, where are you?’

Taeyong pauses and sits on the stairs somewhere between first and second floor. It’s ridiculous but he feels like crying from hearing his mate’s voice. Taeyong, who tried so hard to be calm and act like he’s not stressed, finally broke, heaving under understanding of the whole situation. He clenches his phone in a hand, bringing it even closer to his face and whispering that he’s fine.

‘No, you’re obviously not fine,’ Jaehyun argues and he sounds extremely worried. ‘What’s wrong? Where are you? Seulgi texted me that you were in the hospital. Did something happen?’

‘No, I really am fine,’ Taeyong says, leaning on a cold wall. It’s a nice contrast to his burning body and he sighs in relief. ‘Wait, you knew that Seulgi was here?’

‘She was supposed to be there, yes,’ Jaehyun answers and then changes his tone, speaking quieter: ‘Taeyong, what’s wrong? I can hear it in your voice, are you panicking over there?’

Taeyong chokes on his spit, starting to cough. ‘I’m not panicking. I’m just.. I passed the blood test and wanted to call you.’ Confession doesn’t sit very well with him, because he’s not a cheesy type and definitely not a type who lays all feelings bare, so omega quickly covers up: ‘Am I disturbing you from work? Aren’t you on the factory on a meeting?’

‘I was, but then you called and I went out. And I’m glad you called,’ Taeyong can hear a smile in alpha’s voice. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t be there. But everything’s going to be okay, you know that, right? I handled it.’

Taeyong thinks of Lucas asking him which hospital and then about Seulgi going to do the blood test right after him. He puts two and two together and his head falls. God he’s so stupid. ‘Seulgi is going to-’

‘I’ll tell you everything later,’ Jaehyun interrupts. ‘I promise. But now just go back to work and don’t worry about it, alright? I promise everything’s going to be fine. You trust me, right?’

Taeyong slowly stands up and dusts off his pants. ‘I do. You know I do.’

‘Then you can just stop worrying about it. Go back to work, alright? And I’ll tell you everything in the evening. Okay?’ Taeyong murmurs his agreement and Jaehyun chuckles. ‘Alright, I need to go back to the meeting. I love you babe, bye.’

Taeyong doesn’t even get to reply to this as alpha quickly hangs up, probably in a rush to get back to his meeting. This time these three words don’t set Taeyong’s heart ablaze; on the contrary they make him feel grounded, satisfied, calm. Happy. Omega smiles and listens to his heartbeat, glad to not found it erratic. He walks to the exit with way more confidence than he came in first time, feeling strangely serene. A queue this time is bigger and he notices Seulgi standing in it. Acting on an impulse he goes right to her and stops only when two steps away, when she looks up and sees him. Taeyong wants to ask so much: _What did you do? Did you succeed? What did it cost?_ Taeyong wants to say so much: _thank you for helping me_ and _I’m so grateful that Jaehyun has a friend like you_. He knows he can do none of it here, so he mouths a quiet ‘thank you’ slowly to make sure that Seulgi will definitely understand. And she does. Her eyes are trained on his lips as he says it and then beautiful smile appears on her face. Their eyes meet and she winks, still smiling. Taeyong’s heart felt lighter instantly; he wants to jump up and down from it. She discreetly turns her head to the side, gesturing that he needs to go. Taeyong nods and looks at her one last time before going out. He thinks that even if all of this won’t work out then at least he got a new friend from this mess. New friend, destined mate who confessed his love and he got closer to Lucas. All things considered, even if it all goes to shit…Taeyong’s still winning.

+=+

Thirty minutes later amidst meeting with a client Jaehyun receives text from Seulgi with a one word ‘done’ in it. One hour later Yukhei ends a long and productive call with HR from Tokyo with a happy grin on his face. In the next twenty minutes Irene checks her inbox and sees new notification in the system - it lets her know that new annex titled ‘Change in company policies’ has been added and is in need of her approval. Two hours later she receives a pdf file from Sundae hospital with Lee Taeyong’s results: her eyes focus on a single word written at the top of the list right next to Taeyong’s birth date - _beta_.

+=+

**two days later**

‘I mean I don’t know what I expected but certainly not this,’ Haechan says, looking at the bouquet in front of him with disgust. ‘I thought they gonna…I don’t know, give us a month supply of those milk shakes they make.’

The factory for which all of them are doing a project sent their team bouquets. It was a rather nice gesture of ‘thank you’ for them speeding up and finishing reports earlier than deadline. Taeyong first was surprised by white roses but now he was staring at them lovingly, just like Wendy. Haechan and Jungwoo were grumpy, not caring for flowers and just wanting free food or anything free, really.

‘What would I even do with these flowers?’ Jungwoo asks and then turns when door opens. ‘Oh, Yeri, hi. Here’s a bouquet for you or better, have two bouquets of white roses, take mine too.’

Taeyong engages in conversation with Wendy, mostly ignoring Yeri’s presence. In the past two days tension between them only grew and it became obvious to other members of the team as well; Wendy and Jungwoo asked him if everything was okay between Yeri and him. Taeyong only smiled and said that it’s fine even though that was far from reality. If before he didn’t feel rage or hatred towards the girl then after having to go to the hospital and then learning from Jaehyun what exactly was done in order for his test to show ‘beta’, omega’s opinion changed. He felt nothing but despise, not wanting to be anywhere near her at all. Jaehyun told him he was working on transferring her to another team, but it’ll probably happen only after they finish this project, which meant they have to see each other for almost a month. Choosing ignorance as a tactic, Taeyong followed it for two days straight but he had a nagging feeling that very soon he’ll have to face her. Yeri kept on sending him pitiful glances, trying to make eye contact with him or start a conversation; Taeyong always responded politely but coldly, not even looking at her. Maybe this can be considered as a childish behavior but Lee doesn’t care, when he just so much as looks in her direction he feels anger rising.

‘You can this bouquet to your mom,’ Wendy says to Jungwoo and then asks everyone to go back to their places and write a thank you message to managers from the factory. ‘Taeyong, can you stay for a minute?’

Everyone exits and only then Taeyong turns with a small smile. ‘What’s up?’

‘I wanted to talk to you about Yeri,’ she starts and sighs when Taeyong’s smile slips. ‘Listen, I don’t know what happened, but she looks miserable and she’s obviously trying to reach out to you… Can’t you just hear her out? If this goes on for longer then it will start to impact the team.’

Taeyong shuffles, looking down. Wendy is being reasonable, he knows. And she’s right. He sighs and looks up, meeting her gaze. ‘Alright. We’ll solve this.’

Wendy’s answering smile makes Taeyong smile back. She hugs him and pinches his cheek, saying how she knew he’d choose the right thing. They both go back to their desks and Taeyong has half of mind to turn and go somewhere else, when he sees Yeri waiting for him. _Well that didn’t take long_. As everyone stares at them Taeyong can’t just ignore her, so he simply comes closer, raising one eyebrow in question at her. Yeri’s skittish, staring at him like a frightened animal, like Taeyong is going to pounce at her at any given chance. In all honesty, she’s not that far from the truth.

‘Can we talk?’ She asks in a timid voice, looking up at him.

 _No_ is on his tongue, but Wendy and Jungwoo are staring and Taeyong has no other choice but to nod. He turns and walks to one of the little cabins made for taking a phone call. It’s small and has only one little table and a chair inside. Taeyong settles for leaning on the table, letting Yeri sit on the chair. They are too close for both of their comfort and she tries to shuffle to the other end of the cabin, which doesn’t really help much but the effort is appreciated.

‘You wanted to talk,’ Taeyong says, burying his hands in the pockets. Yeri nods. ‘Then talk. I’m listening.’

Taeyong doesn’t look at her. Not because he doesn’t want to, but because he can’t; if looks he know his heart will shatter at the look on her face and he can’t be weak, not with her and not now. He suddenly remembers all of her interactions with Jaehyun, the almost desperate way in which she tried to get his attention and it breaks his resolve. Unrequited love is not something that he has experienced, but he can imagine how bad it must hurt; just thinking that what he feels towards Jaehyun may not be reciprocated makes him numb. He shudders at the mere thought of alpha not looking at him with love in his eyes, not calling him his mate. Taeyong with his overly sensitive outlook on love would have been destroyed if Jaehyun didn’t love him back. Lost in his thought he comes back to reality only when he doesn’t hear a thing at all from the girl. With the corner of the eye he can see how she staring at her feet, hands balled into fists. Yeri is silent and Taeyong sure as hell not going to talk first, so he stands up and reaches for the door handle.

‘I have too much work to do, so-’

‘No, wait!’ She blanches and grabs his wrist, preventing him from going away. ‘I’m sorry, please stay.’

Taeyong turns and again leans on the table, this time crossing his hands on his chest. Yeri chews on her bottom lip, looking unsure and… small. Guilty. She silently pleads for forgiveness with her eyes. Taeyong’s resolve wavers.

‘I shouldn’t have done that,’ she starts in a quiet voice, looking at his hands instead of making eye contact with him. ‘I shouldn’t have gone to Irene. I was, I… I was _angry_. And nervous, and frustrated and-’ Yeri abruptly stops and then shakes her head. ‘And I love him. I saw you two together and I got so mad, I wanted to..to hurt you. I was jealous. I’m sorry.’

She still doesn’t look Taeyong in the eyes. Yeri breaths harshly and light tremor wrecks her body, Taeyong can see it standing that close. He tries to find a desire to soothe her in him but instead he feels only anger and pity. Yeri hugs herself and this gesture breaks his heart, because _god_ she really is just a girl in love with someone who doesn’t love her back, and she’s so young, she thinks that this is the only love she’ll ever feel, thinks Jaehyun is the only one for her and Taeyong can’t relate but he’s too emphatic to not react on this.

‘You love him,’ he states and she nods without missing a beat. Weirdly enough this confession doesn’t make Taeyong feel anything; knowing that another girls loves his mate makes him feel…nothing. ‘Don’t you want him to be happy?’

‘I do,’ Yeri whispers and first tears escape her eyes. She quickly wipes them away and sniffles, wrapping arms around waist tighter. She rises her head and for the first meets Taeyong’s gaze straight on. ‘But I wanted him to be happy with me.’

It’s honest, bold and Taeyong is too surprised to say anything back. He blinks in shock and tries to find any suitable response for this, but Yeri continues: ‘I…I was thinking a lot last two days and I- I know my crush was hopeless from the start. Even before you came he didn’t look at me, didn’t _see_ me. I tried so hard to get him to just _see_ me, but he never did. And then you came and I first noticed the way he’s looking at you and then I saw you two in his car late at night. I was going to my friend’s house and saw how you were putting your things in his car, how he kissed your head.’ She pauses and takes two deep calming breaths, wiping rest of the tears. ‘And I was jealous. And then I- I think I started going crazy, I even thought that you’re an omega because few times it seemed like you smelled like strawberries to me. I just completely lost my mind.’

Taeyong tries his best to not change in the face, but thankfully Yeri is not paying him much attention and he doesn’t notice how he tenses throughout the whole story. He understood that Yeri saw them at the same night Jaehyun came to pick him up so they could spend his heat together. He has to bite his tongue when she start talking about thinking he’s an omega, how she thinks she’s gone crazy. His stomach drops, and actual physical feeling that makes him want to puke even though he didn’t eat a thing since the morning. Yeri sighs and clears her throat, looking up at him. Her eyes are red-brimmed because of the tears and she looks too fragile; Taeyong can’t help but plant his hand on her shoulder.

‘I first thought that I did the right thing, because it is prohibited to date in our policies,’ she wipes her nose and sniffles. ‘But then I realized that… it’s not my place. And I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.’

Taeyong bites his lip, squeezing her shoulder. He can’t lie and say that he forgives her, because he can hold a grudge like no one else, but not to say something also doesn’t sit right with him. Lee lets girl calm down, waits until her breathing evens out and body stops shaking. Yeri leans on him and he lets her do that too, pats her head while she sniffles into his chest.

‘Did I ruin it all? Is Jaehyun in trouble?’

She looks at him with fear, eyes wide and scared at the prospect that Jaehyun might be in trouble. Taeyong grits his teeth, wanting to shake the girl and shout that he’s the one who had trouble, not Jaehyun; but he just shakes his head and Yeri sags in relief.

‘I’m glad that you realized your mistake,’ he starts and she turns her attention fully on him, like a puppy waiting for the stick to be thrown. ‘But I think you’ll understand if I say that I’m not ready to just put this behind us like it didn’t happen. Im not going to ignore you, but we’re also not on friendly terms.’

She looks disappointed but nods. Taeyong nods back, feeling a bit awkward as he pats her shoulder two times. Hugging seems like a stretch so he simply opens the door and motions for her to go. Yeri fans her face and only then exits, bowing to him. Taeyong doesn’t bow back and closes door after she leaves, sitting on a chair with a drawn out sigh. That was emotionally exhausting, he concludes, leaning on the wall. Taeyong has a feeling that he definitely could have handled that better; bitterness from regret sits heavy on his tongue. For unexplainable reason he also feels sad; any kind of conflict awakens a havoc inside him. Knowing that he will start overthinking everything if he doesn’t keep his mind busy now, Taeyong lets himself rest for few moments before going back to his work place. Wendy promptly rises an eyebrow at him once he sits down and he nods, letting her know that everything is okay. She smiles at him and shows thumbs up, winking. Being an unofficial leader of their little team, she carefully looked at the relationship between them, wanting to keep friendly atmosphere for the sake of everyone. When Taeyong turns to the left he sees Yeri talking quietly to Jungwoo, who then looks at Taeyong and smiles gratefully at him. Haechan looks between them, clearly confused and then just shrugs, probably thinking that whatever it is that’s going on he’ll be told soon if it’s important enough. Taeyong smiles and reaches out to pinch his cheek, causing young lawyer to groan loudly.

‘Do you know how old I am?’ He questions, rolling his eyes.

‘You’re a baby,’ Jungwoo counters and then asks: ‘Sushi today?’

Everyone whips in agreement and Yeri smiles a bit. Taeyong knows he loves these guys and he feels bad for Jaehyun wanting to move her to another team. For a second he wants to tell him not to do that, but then realizes that he’s again putting someone else’s comfort on the first place, ignoring his own. Jaehyun matters to him obviously way more than Yeri and his well-being and comfort also are higher on his list than hers; if Jaehyun wants Yeri out of his team then so be it. Taeyong refuses to feel remorse or anything close to that over this.

‘Can I for once not pay? Can we for once split the bill?’ Wendy asks, laughing at crest fallen expressions of Jungwoo and Haechan.

‘It’s us who are taking you out today,’ Taeyong says, smiling at her kindly and then sending a death glare to two other boys. ‘Aren’t we, Jungwoo? Haechan?’

‘We are, apparently,’ Haechan mutters.

Taeyong wants to suggest a certain place when his phone beeps with a message. He check it out and it’s from Jaehyun, a simple:

 _‘date night tonight?_ ’

He texts back ‘ _yes_ ’ and goes back to his talking about sushi place. Jungwoo pouts and says how he suddenly doesn’t like sushi, cause it’s expensive and wow, he doesn’t want to pay for it. Yeri laughs along with everyone, but she still is timid to meet Taeyong’s gaze straight on. Another message and this time when taeyong checks it out he can’t help but smile widely:

‘ _i’m picking you up after work then. also, yukhei just suggested dinner on the next week - you, me, yukhei and sicheng. what you think_?’

Taeyong imagines all four of them sitting together, finally introducing Sicheng to Jaehyun and getting closer all together. This thought fills him with almost childlike excitement and he stops himself from giggling but just barely. He types ‘ _sounds amazing_!’ and when he looks up Yeri is staring at him with unreadable expression. When she notices him catching her gaze she blinks and puts a smile on her face, turning away. Taeyong bites his lower lip but gets quickly distracted when Jaehyun walks out of his office towards them, looking exceptionally handsome as always. Alpha stops by to give some instructions and while everyone’s busy writing them down he looks at Taeyong and smiles. With this smile Taeyong forgets all about Yeri and Irene and any other mishaps. His chest expands with something akin to happiness and fills up with something that starts from capital ‘L’. It’s giddy, it’s euphoric and Taeyong can’t wait for what’s about to come, because looking into Jaehyun’s eyes that twinkle with happiness, he believes that future is bright and it’s shaped in the form of his heart placed into alpha’s hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we did it *wipes sweat from forehead* official end of the angst and let the fluff and smut begin lmao (and angst. just a tiiiiiiny bit)
> 
> as always let me know your thoughts! did you like the chapter? what are you excited the most about in the future: double date, new year festival, luwin smut, more jaeyong couple time? maybe you want to see bonuses about beloved xiao and hendery? let me know!
> 
> on other topic, imagine having YUKHEI in your group and giving him almost no lines...honestly what even is superm what is their concept it's so chaotic to me aflafblaf i mean as long as yukhei and ten are happy there then cool but WHAT ARE EVEN THEIR SONGS I- i still can't get over taemin being a cowboy in that mv someone save him lfd;dnf;a
> 
> anyWAYS! make sure to spend last summer days really well! whatever you couldn't do because of the virus, im sure 2021 will give us all opportunities to catch up, so don't be sad! im sending cheerful yangyang with his signature :D face to you <3


	19. double date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i died a bit writing this. enjoy!

**one week later**

Jaehyun smiles at the way Taeyong is so obviously trying to contain his excitement. His mate barely sits straight, neck craned to see if other guys are coming or not. He’s practically buzzing with happiness and this energy is contagious, it makes Jaehyun get excited too. Alpha’s leaning comfortably on the wall, one leg bent on the knee and hand propped there. For their first ever dinner together he chose his favorite place - Sakura, a nice restaurant with private cabins in Japanese style. Their cabin had a beautiful view of a pond and a fountain, whenever he came here with his family back in the old days they always stayed right here. Looking around Jaehyun accurately remembers how he first came here on his sixth birthday and then how his family invited Yukhei with them, when Wong saved him from that gas leak in school. This place holds many memories of cheerful lunches, awkward dinners, quiet celebrations of milestones; Jaehyun’s sure that Yukhei will also appreciate his choice of meeting place, he just hopes others won’t be disappointed also. Jung checks time - Yukhei and Sicheng are not late, it’s him and Taeyong who came early due to latter not being able to sit still.

‘Sichengie texted and said they are almost here!’ Taeyong announces and his voice does this thing whenever he gets too excited - it kinda breaks at the end of the sentence, which is too cute in Jaehyun’s opinion. ‘I can’t wait for you to meet him!’

‘I can tell,’ Jaehyun says and lightly pats Taeyong’s thigh, bringing omega’s attention back to him. ‘It’s good to see you that happy, baby.’

Taeyong’s expression softens and he leans on alpha, cuddling to him like a cat. It’s true, whole previous week was rather tense for everyone. Jaehyun was busy with clients, trying to get Yeri move to another team, dealing with Irene and her passive aggression towards him; by the end of Friday Jung felt like life was squeezed out of him. Taeyong wasn’t under that much pressure, but being more sensitive one he reacted on obvious changes within his team with sadness, knowing that he can’t change initial awkwardness that seemed hard to surpass. Jaehyun tried to raise this topic with his mate, wanting to somehow spare his feelings, but Taeyong just brushed it off like it wasn’t that important. _I’m going to leave soon anyway_ , he said with a sad chuckle. Despite omega telling him that he’ll find himself a job on his own, Jaehyun still looked, just in case. It’s always good to have back up options, so he also did his research, wanting to give Taeyong different variants to choose from if he won’t succeed. He also does it so his alpha instincts won’t go overdrive over the fact that he can’t help his omega, but Taeyong doesn’t need to know that.

‘It’s them!’ Taeyong jumps, startling alpha. He pulls door to the left and Jaehyun watches as his mate’s face lights up with smile. ‘Sichengie!’

Jaehyun slowly rises, dusting off his pants and frowning at creases on them. Well, hopefully Sicheng won’t care; Jaehyun is not exactly worried about leaving a good impression, but he _does_ want to impress somehow. His curiosity is picked to the max, because not only Sicheng is Taeyong’s best friend, but he also dates Yukhei and Yukhei never introduced anyone to him. Alpha comes closer to the door and blinks at the sight of Taeyong smothering in hugs and kisses younger boy.

‘You look amazing, Sicheng!’ Taeyong gushes, eyes wide and sparkly as he stares at his friend.

Jaehyun brushes Yukhei’s shoulder and smiles when his friend turns, going for a side hug. Taeyong continues showering boy with compliments and when he finally steps back, Jaehyun for the first time gets a look at the infamous Sicheng, who apparently is everyone’s favorite. Tall young boy with rather pale skin, big almond shaped eyes and high nose. He’s dressed in simple grey sweatshirt with the emblem of university and dark jeans - a typical student, although indeed a handsome one. Jaehyun doesn’t exactly understand the shower of compliments that he hears from Taeyong; Sicheng for sure is handsome, but not exactly at the point where someone would hype him up like that. Besides, Taeyong looks surprised and this is rather strange-

‘Sicheng’s cut his hair just now,’ Yukhei says, chuckling at Jaehyun’s expression. ‘I had the same reaction as Taeyong, difference is truly astonishing.’

Jaehyun can’t imagine now how Sicheng must have looked with longer hair, but he understands now reason for Taeyong’s surprise. His mate finally turns around and grasps Jaehyun’s wrist, pulling him closer. He’s literally shining with happiness and excitement and it makes Jung’s heart melt, because this is Taeyong that he always wants to see, with this big smile on his face. He unknowingly also smiles back, when he gets introduced to Sicheng.

‘Heard a lot about you,’ Jaehyun says, shaking beta’s hand.

Sicheng, all red from attention that was given earlier, smiles at him for the first time and his whole face changes from that smile and.. yeah, Jaehyun can definitely tell why Yukhei fell for this boy. ‘Nice to meet you. I heard a lot about you too.’

‘Let’s take this inside, shall we?’ Yukhei asks, wrapping one arm around Sicheng’s shoulders. He then looks around and gives Jaehyun a knowing look. ‘Perfect place, Jae.’

Jaehyun guides Taeyong by a hand on his back and smiles when omega cutely plops down, eagerly looking at Sicheng and Yukhei. They are immediately given menus and polite waiter by the name of Eunhyuk guides them through today’s special treats, helping in choosing dishes. Jaehyun relishes the way Taeyong leans on his shoulder, showing him his picks; this gesture is so natural that Taeyong probably is not even aware of it, but it still affects Jaehyun all the same. He’s glad that his mate feels himself comfortable enough that he can just let go and do what he likes, say what he wants; he’s free here, in a private cabin, where he doesn’t have to think of someone else from work catching them. Not being a big fan of pda, Jung notices that he’s more inclined in showing affection when his surroundings don’t put him on edge and that’s apparently the same with Taeyong, both of them allowing themselves small touches that make it known they’re together, but not doing anything more.

‘Can you bring everything together?’ Yukhei asks, handing menu back to the waiter. ‘So we can all start eating at the same time.’ He then turns to Sicheng, who’s still looking through desserts. ‘Or do you want your tea now?’

‘Now, if that’s okay,’ Sicheng answers in a quiet tone. He looks up to check everyone’s reaction and Taeyong nods so fiercely that Jaehyun fears his head might fall off.

‘Of course it’s okay!’ Lee says, reaching out to take Sicheng’s hand in his. He turns to waiter with a smile: ‘Bring tea once it’s ready, please.’

Eunhyuk nods, recites their order and once they confirm it, he leaves, pulling door closed after him. Jaehyun swallows, thinking of something to say so awkward silence won’t settle between them, but Yukhei easily takes the reins of the conversation, telling how surprised he was with Sicheng’s new haircut and Taeyong immediately picks it up, joining. On the hindsight Jaehyun doesn’t know why he was worried: Taeyong is incredible lively and chirpy when he’s with people he likes and Yukhei is usually the center of any group. Jung lets them carry on the conversation, leaning on the wall and resting his hand on Taeyong’s back. He looks to the side and notices how Sicheng also settled himself closer to the wall, watching Yukhei with stars in his eyes. Alpha smiles as he sees how beta has Yukhei’s hand clasped in his. _Cute._

‘Sichengie’s an amazing dancer!’ Taeyong exclaims and Jaehyun bites his lip in order not to say something when his omega moves from his side and instead goes to sit closer to his friend. Jaehyun actively tries _not_ to pout. ‘He’s a part of a really cool dance crew and they gonna perform on a New year festival. When again it’s going to be held?’

‘They changed dates, so instead of doing it on Christmas we will be performing on December twenty-first,’ Sicheng answers and sits up straighter. He clears his throat and Jaehyun focuses all of his attention on him, knowing that something evidently important is coming. Sicheng looks at Yukhei and when alpha squeezes his hand he says: ‘You all are very welcome to come. It’s free, but there are not many seats, a lot of people will end up just standing. So if you want to come and watch I will reserve seats for you all.’

Jaehyun understands why Taeyong is so obviously protective over Sicheng; he also feels something move within him at the sight of not sure beta, who looks at them like their answers will decide his life.

‘Of course we’re coming,’ Yukhei says and his tone is soft, just like his eyes as he stares at his boyfriend. For a second it looks like they are going to kiss but Sicheng moves his head a little, just a fraction, a tiny sign and Yukhei blinks, quickly adding in a joking tone: ‘You better get us the best seats, babe!’

Taeyong turns to Jaehyun, question clear in his eyes. Jung wants to pick his phone and check his schedule, but for some reason he knows that right now it’s the wrong thing to do; Yukhei answered ‘yes’ without even checking if he’s free that day, so Jaehyun figures he can do the same.

‘I’d be happy to come,’ he answers and Taeyong _beams_ at him. Jaehyun thinks he’s ready to do anything and go anywhere if Taeyong will light up like a sun every single time. _God he got it bad_. ‘It’s a competition or just a concert kind of thing?’

Sicheng looks surprised by Jaehyun’s attention but answers in the same quiet tone, voice getting louder gradually, as he talks more and more about his dance crew. It’s fascinating to watch anyone talk about their passion: their eyes light up, whole face changes and exudes happiness and joy, their gestures become broader, tone of the voice changes. Yukhei is enamored, listening attentively, afraid to miss any word or change of expression on his boyfriend’s face. His right hand is being held gingerly in Sicheng’s hold and his left hand rests on beta’s knee; Sicheng gravitates more and more to Yukhei’s personal space without realizing, too distracted by talking about festival and his partners. Jaehyun signals for Taeyong to come back to him, but omega stubbornly stays on his friends’ side. To not have Taeyong’s attention on him when they are together is new for Jaehyun and after few minutes alpha decides that he doesn’t like it one bit.

‘Best seats are probably taken by Xiao and Hendery, right?’ Taeyong asks and Sicheng nods. ‘Well, can you get us second best ones?’

‘Can’t Xiaojun and Hendery move?’ Yukhei questions and receives a little tug at the leg from Jaehyun. ‘What? I’m sure they’ll understand, I’m his boyfriend after all, shouldn’t I be sitting on the best place?’

‘They won’t move,’ Taeyong answers surely, chuckling. ‘Not for anyone, when it comes to their Winwinnie.’

‘Who’s Winwin?’ Jaehyun asks, confused as at the same time Yukhei frowns at Taeyong’s answer.

At that time knock on the door puts a conversation on hold as Eunhyuk comes back with trails of their dishes. While appetizers are put on the table, Taeyong swiftly moves back, leaning on Jaehyun with a smile on his face. Alpha smiles, wrapping arm around him with a contained smile. Taeyong turns his head and whispers into Jaehyun’s ear: ‘How’s Sichengie?’

‘I don’t know, you tell me if I should see him as a competitor?’ Jaehyun whispers back, tightening his hold on omega’s waist and smiling when Taeyong giggles. ‘Is he also after your heart?’

‘No, he isn’t,’ Taeyong tries to stiffen his giggles, but instead they only grow louder. He then looks up at Jaehyun and mirth twinkles in his eyes. ‘Because he already has it.’

‘Oh, so that’s how it is, huh?’ Jaehyun doesn’t even bother in trying to keep quiet, loving when Taeyong gets into this playful moods. Alpha’s hand sneaks under his sweater and he starts tickling, making omega wriggle in his hold. ‘He already has it, huh? And what about me?’

Taeyong tries to hold back but gives up quickly, giggling loudly and trying to break free from Jaehyun’s hold. He’s laughing, arms flying everywhere, accidentally punching alpha on the face in his attempt to move away. Jaehyun forgets about his surroundings, heart filled with joy and love as he watches Taeyong laugh and smile openly. Something inside Jaehyun stirs at this image, because he hasn’t seen his mate smile and laugh for too long; all because of those unfortunate events. But the thing is, Taeyong looks the prettiest when he’s smiling, when happiness pores from his body, when he shines with it. Alpha stops tickling and leans in, pressing soft kiss on omega’s forehead. Taeyong, ever so sensitive to atmosphere shifting, immediately pauses, eyes wide as he meets Jaehyun’s gaze. Jaehyun doesn’t know what Taeyong saw there, but whatever it is it made boy underneath him sigh happily and smile warmly. His lips look especially inviting and Jaehyun leans down without thinking, on a pure instinct, intending to claim these lips, when loud voice interrupts them:

‘This pond is so pretty, isn’t it, Sicheng?’

 _God dammit._ Jaehyun closes his eyes and exhales, feeling how Taeyong shakes under him with silent laughter. Jung turns his head and sees Yukhei grinning him at like an idiot, tongue pushed between his lips. Sicheng next to him looks just a tad bit uncomfortable, but he quickly looks away when he makes eye contact with Jaehyun. Yukhei starts describing beauty of a little pond and a fountain with exaggerated gestures and Sicheng acts interested, albeit very badly. Taeyong pats Jaehyun’s shoulder, signaling alpha to come up. They sit up and Taeyong clears his throat, sending Jaehyun teasing looks.

‘Looks delicious,’ he comments, eyes raking over the table. ‘Shall we start?’

‘We’ve already started,’ Yukhei says, snickering. ‘It’s you two who were occupied.’

Taeyong actually blushes at that, but Jaehyun who admittedly is also a bit embarrassed, refuses to let it show, so he calmly starts eating, ignoring Yukhei’s gaze. Jung can already imagine how he’s going to be teased once they’ll be alone and when he looks at his friend, Yukhei looks back with a shit-eating grin that practically screams _i’m SO telling Seulgi about this_. Wong is obviously having time of his life and Jaehyun tries to discreetly kick him, but table is too low and he ends up smacking his knee right at the table, rattling it, surprising Sicheng and Taeyong, whose tea spilled due to sudden earthquake.

‘Shit, sorry,’ Jaehyun mutters and reaches for the napkins, tips of ears burning red. Yukhei coughs, trying to hold in his laughter and Jaehyun plots his murder in his mind. ‘Sorry, babe, here are napkins.’

‘It’s alright,’ Taeyong assures him and also smiles, biting inside of his cheek. ‘Does it hurt a lot?’ He asks, pointing at the knee. ‘You really hit it hard.’

‘It doesn’t hurt much,’ Jaehyun replies, feeling his cheeks also turn hot.

‘Not as much as his pride,’ Yukhei adds and Jaehyun is _this_ close to lash out and put this guy into a headlock. ‘If it’s still intact.’

‘You’re really pushing it, Wong,’ Jaehyun mutters and tries keep a calm face, while Taeyong and Sicheng both stuff their mouths with food, trying not to laugh. ‘You forgot that I know way too much stuff about you that will leave your pride in ashes.’

It’s all jokes, of course. Yukhei’s laughing with a head fallen back, leaning on Sicheng for support. Taeyong pats Jaehyun’s knee consolingly and because he can see that his alpha will soon turn into a tomato, he decides to take a hold of the conversation, turning it to a completely different topic. They talk about New Year and presents and how they celebrate it in the company. Yukhei and Jaehyun reminisce about their trip to Thailand last year in January, both alphas show pics on their phones. Eunhyuk brings them more and more dishes, time flies with easy and lighthearted talks. Jaehyun finds delight in the way Taeyong and Yukhei hit off so effortlessly; it has a lot to do with both of them being open and outgoing, but not only that. Jaehyun can tell that Yukhei tries to engage Taeyong in conversation more, how he’s more attentive than he’d usually be with anyone else and Jung appreciates that immensely. He’s absolutely fine with just sitting back and letting these two carry on, enjoying going banter and trading jokes. Sicheng sometimes comments something, making them smile, but otherwise stays rather silent. Jaehyun finishes his soup and gently reminds Taeyong to eat too, because his mate gets too excited with talking and leaves his food untouched.

‘Eat, babe,’ he says quietly and puts chopsticks in his hand. ‘Food’s gone cold.’

Taeyong blinks, looking at sashimi in front of him with a surprise. Jaehyun chuckles and leans in, caressing his back lightly. Oh the joy of the fact that he can do it so easily. Taeyong dives in and Jaehyun watches him eat for some time with a smile on his face. He feels weirdly content, enjoying simple hang out like it’s some kind of celebration. Maybe it is. Little things matter the most, in the end.

‘Me and Sicheng will leave a bit early,’ Yukhei announces. ‘I’m taking him to a secret place.’

Sicheng’s eyes widen when he turns to his boyfriend and Taeyong coos, leaning closer. ‘What place?’

‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’ Yukhei teases and wraps an arm around younger boy.

Sicheng, as Jaehyun noticed, gets flustered easily. He gradually became more comfortable throughout their dinner, but he still didn’t talk much, mostly listening. Seeing how Yukhei and Taeyong hit off, Jaehyun did think that he should make a bit more effort in trying to get closer to Sicheng, because this person is obviously important for two people who are important to him, so he sits on Taeyong’s place while his mate went to the toilet.

‘Sicheng,’ he calls and both he and Yukhei rise their heads almost simultaneously. ‘We didn’t get to talk tonight, so uhm-’ Jaehyun scratches back of his neck, not sure where this is going, ‘- I wanted to, you know-’

‘We can switch seats,’ Yukhei suggest, carefully watching Sicheng’s reaction. ‘Jae here obviously wants to bond with you a little bit.’

Sicheng turns to Jaehyun for confirmation and when Jung nods, he simply stands up and seats next to alpha, smiling when Yukhei moves his plates to his new place. Jaehyun suddenly feels awkward, his body goes rigid because god what does he say, how does he strike a conversation in a way so Sicheng won’t think of him as of someone dumb and not worthy of his friend, how Yukhei did it holy shit-

‘So, uhm,’ Sicheng starts and Jaehyun gives himself a whiplash from how fast he turned his neck, ‘I wanted to say that it was my idea. You know, to get Taeyong to lie and change docs about him being beta and not omega. I guess it’s all kind of my fault.’

Jaehyun blinks and before Yukhei says something - and with the corner of eyes he can tell that Wong’s about to open his mouth - he quickly says: ‘No, it’s not your fault! As far as I’m concerned it’s no one’s fault, because I wouldn’t have met Taeyong other way. I’m thankful, really. Your idea brought him into my life, so I really owe you one.’

Sicheng, who obviously didn’t think about it in this way, stares owlishly at Jaehyun. Taeyong comes back right at that moment and, to his credit, doesn’t even blink at the change of the places; he gets a one look on them and then happily skips to Yukhei, who moves to the side and invitingly pats place next to him. ‘ _What’s going on?_ ’ He half-whispers and Yukhei replies with: ‘ _They’re trying to bond, shhh_.’ They watch them for few seconds but then Yukhei spares them embarrassment and opens about another topic with Taeyong, who also switches his attention from them. Once prying eyes are turned away, both Jaehyun and Sicheng feel themselves better.

‘We both are not very..talkative,’ Jaehyun says and Sicheng nods, smiling a little. This smile makes alpha braver and he continues: ‘But I hope you do know that me being silent doesn’t mean anything bad, I’d just rather listen than talk.’

By Sicheng’s silence you can easily say that he’s not talking much not because he doesn’t like you and shows his resentment this way, but because he’s more closed-off and shy. But Jaehyun knows for a fact that his silence usually gets interpreted in a mean/arrogant way, like he thinks he’s better than anyone and that’s why he doesn’t say a thing and alpha’s rather stoic poker face doesn’t help much. That’s why it’s important for him to say this, to let Sicheng know that he’s just also not the best at socializing until he’s gotten close to the person.

‘Oh, I know,’ Sicheng bobs his head in a cute way. ‘I mean, I understand, it’s okay.’

Jaehyun nods gratefully. ‘I’d like to get to know you better, though. If you’re okay with that? Taeyong cares so much about you and you’re Yukhei’s boyfriend-’ Sicheng blushes at that and Jaehyun can’t help but smile, ‘-so I think we’ll see each other pretty often.’

‘I already like you,’ Sicheng confesses, surprising Jung. Beta flushes bright red and clears his throat, explaining: ‘You’re Yongie’s mate and he lo- _likes_ you so much. He told me a lot about you and I see that you care about him, so…yeah. I like you. I’m sorry if I’m being awkward, all of it is a bit overwhelming for me.’

Sicheng looks down at his hands and Jaehyun almost shouts when he receives a kick on the shin. Yukhei is glaring at him and Jung shakes his head, letting his friend know that nothing bad happened. He then turns to Sicheng and pats his knee, making other boy look up. ‘It’s alright, I’m also awkward if you can’t tell. That’s why we have them-’ he points with his head towards sitting in front of them guys, ‘-to balance us out.’

Sicheng’s gaze stops at Yukhei for a second too long and then he nods, smiling. ‘Yeah.’

‘What are you two taaaaalking about?’ Taeyong asks loudly and moves to Sicheng’s side, looking at his friend adoringly. ‘What did Jaehyunnie tell you?’

Jaehyun promptly proceeds to choke on ‘ _Jaehyunnie_ ’, causing another uproar of Yukhei’s laughter. It’s…unexpected, but very welcomed. Taeyong calling him this way feels like omega talks about someone who belongs to him and Jaehyun can’t agree more. His heart grows bigger and bigger in his chest, alpha fears it may break his ribs in order to break free. Yukhei chuckles, mouthing ‘ _whipped_ ’ at him but Jaehyun only rolls his eyes. If Taeyong feels at least a third of what he feels for him, then alpha considers this a win. His mate never replied to his ‘i love you’, but it doesn’t really bother Jaehyun; he’s saying it to make it known that he’s sure of his feelings, not because he expects something back. At least not right now.

‘Guys, are we wrapping up? Cause I still need to take Sicheng somewhere else and they’re closing at ten.’ Yukhei checks his watch and turns at everyone. ‘Sorry if I’m cutting it short.’

‘It’s okay,’ Taeyong says easily and Jaehyun presses on a button, calling waiter. ‘We can do this some time again, right?’

‘That would be great!’ Yukhei agrees and when Eunhyuk comes in he asks for a check. ‘And no, don’t even try to reach for your wallets, guys. It’s on us.’

Taeyong realized long time ago that arguing with Jaehyun about payment is useless, so he just rolls his eyes and shrugs, leaning on his alpha, who happily holds him close, his card already in hand. Sicheng, baffled by Taeyong’s reaction looks confused and still pulls out his wallet. Yukhei gently places his hand on top of his and shakes his head: ‘Our treat, okay babe?’.

When Eunhyuk comes back with a check, Jaehyun gives him his card; he and Yukhei always were very…chill about money; they never had talks like ‘you owe me this much cause i paid for you last time’. Sometimes Jaehyun pays, sometimes Yukhei, it’s never really a big deal. They slowly wrap up and exit together. Taeyong happily hums some tune under his breath, clinging to Jaehyun, while Sicheng and Yukhei just stand close, alpha’s hand on beta’s back. Everyone hugs and they part ways with a promise to do this kind of dinners more often.

‘Are you happy?’ Jaehyun asks, once he’s in the car with Taeyong. ‘You look like you are.’

‘I’m very happy,’ Taeyong says quietly, content. ‘I knew it’ll go well but just… I can’t believe that it happened. I’m really happy. Oh and I think me and Yukhei get along pretty well, what do you say?’

‘Very well,’ Jaehyun confirms and smiles at the way Taeyong fist bumps air in joy. ‘Were you nervous because of this?’

‘Well yeah, he’s your closest friend,’ Taeyong shrugs with his shoulders. ‘I just was scared that he might not like me, cause you know…I brought you so many problems.’

Jaehyun frowns and glances at omega. Taeyong looks down, fingers playing with the hem of his sweatshirt. Not liking one bit the direction if his mate’s thoughts, Jaehyun reaches out and grabs Taeyong’s hand in his. He squeezes it, not being able to turn because he’s driving. ‘I don’t want to hear anything of that sort ever again,’ he says seriously, trying to control his tone so he won’t sound like he’s giving orders. ‘None of that. You think I would have been happy without you? You brought me love, real love. I didn’t even think I was capable of feeling this much. I love you and I don’t want to you to think that way, okay?’

Taeyong’s breath hitches and he grips alpha’s hand tighter, his finger nails diving in and creating little moon like marks. Jaehyun sighs in relief when red light glares at him and he finally has time to turn to his mate. Taeyong chews on his bottom lip, not rising his head. Silence that settled between them is not suffocating, but Jaehyun still doesn’t like it. He knows that Taeyong is a professional at overthinking and this overthinking can sometimes lead him to dark places.

‘Baby,’ he calls and Taeyong looks up. Jaehyun presses his index finger on omega’s forehead. ‘Care to share what’s going on here?’

Taeyong shakes his head. He looks at alpha and quickly leans in, pecking his lips. ‘Me too.’

‘You too what?’ Jaehyun asks, confused.

Lights change to green and he again concentrates on driving. Taeyong doesn’t reply, but leans on alpha, his head on a shoulder. Jaehyun relaxes after some time, knowing that if Taeyong was somehow upset or angry then he’d say so. Jung turns radio on and they drive home in the company of slow alternative songs. Taeyong mumbles something about wanting to finish off their project faster so he can stay with his parents for a while. He also talks about Yukhei and Sicheng, about how tasty sashimi was. Jaehyun just listens, content to not say a word himself. Content to just stay like that, with Taeyong’s head on his shoulder for forever.

‘Can we just drive around?’ Taeyong asks quietly. ‘Don’t wanna part right now.’

Jaehyun thinks if anyone will look at him now they’ll see how he glows with love and happiness. ‘Of course, sweetheart.’ He replies, kissing omega’s head.

Taeyong’s scent gets stronger, Jaehyun feels it through all of the points where they are touching. It’s incredible. Alpha basks in this scent and drives to the opposite side of the center. Jaehyun turns his head and mouthes into Taeyong’s hair: ‘ _I love you_ ’. Maybe it’s his imagination playing tricks with him but he thinks he can feel Taeyong murmuring back into his bicep: ‘ _Love you too_.’

+=+

‘Where are you taking me?’ Sicheng asks, interest piqued. ‘Pretty soon we’ll get out of the town.’

‘You’ll see soon,’ Yukhei says and turns with a chuckle: ‘What? Afraid that I might kidnap you?’ He laughs when Sicheng lightly slaps his hand. ‘Don’t worry, I promise you’ll like it.’

Sicheng is not worried at all, he’s with Yukhei after all. In all honesty Sicheng feels a bit sleepy: his tummy is full and basking in attention from his boyfriend, he felt serene in a way he never felt before. Yukhei holds his hand in his and such simple thing shouldn’t make beta’s heart jump out of his chest, but it does; every single thing with Yukhei is multiplied in its effect on a boy. Alpha’s driving with one hand on a steering wheel, looking as handsome as ever and Sicheng feels incredibly lucky for this. For the fact that he has this, cause he knows he easily could have let it slip away not so long ago. Yukhei never brought up that talk again, but Sicheng still had it in his mind and he didn’t want to forget; he always wanted to remember so he’d know not to doubt alpha like that again. Yukhei’s hand slips from his hold and instead settles on Sicheng’s knee, squeezing it a little.

‘How was dinner?’ He asks, looking at the road. ‘I hope you liked it. Was it good?’

‘Fine,’ Sicheng replies thoughtfully. ‘It went better than I expected, to be honest.’

Sicheng is rather pessimistic about everything; he expected awkward silence, forced laughs and stilled conversation. He did feel himself uncomfortable at first, because meeting a new person and then sight of him and Taeyong did throw him off for few moments, simply because Sicheng’s so not used to it. Add to it fact that he came with Yukhei as a couple was overwhelming, made beta feel almost vulnerable, especially when he could feel Taeyong and Jaehyun’s gazes on them from time to time. He then let himself relax, food serving as a god distraction plus stories from Yukhei and Taeyong were funny and interesting. Sicheng can admit that he was awkward with Jaehyun and he cursed himself for it; he does taste regret on his tongue, because Taeyong’s mate obviously tried to reach out but Sicheng being his usual shy self couldn’t fully reach back.

‘I hope Jaehyun didn’t think anything bad about me,’ Sicheng mutters lowly.

‘Why would he?’ Yukhei asks, incredulous.

 _Cause I’m not worthy of you._ Yukhei deserves someone who he can flaunt to everyone else, but instead he has an awkward mess of a boy, whose shyness comes off as arrogance and whose internal conflicts can be toxic. Sicheng seriously doesn’t get the universe sometimes.

‘You don’t have to worry,’ alpha says reassuringly. ‘Jaehyun liked you, that’s for sure.’

But the thing is, Sicheng worries easily. Easily creates really bad scenarios in his head, reacts to them instantly, digs his own grave with pessimistic thoughts. Sometimes his fingertips turn numb from how worried he is, how fear rushes through his blood and makes everything seem so much worse than it really is. He snaps out of it, but not quickly and usually only when damage was done. Thoughts can spiral out of control with him, can turn ugly in a second, eat him up alive with doubts and insecurities.

‘And even if he didn’t,’ Yukhei says and then adds quickly: ‘Although he hundred percent did, but just in case he did’t - who cares? I like you, that’s the most important thing.’

And then Sicheng reminds himself that all of is not true - it’s scary how our minds can make us feel so worthless. Sicheng snaps out of it and looks around to see the reality, where he’s one of the best students in his faculty, has true and sincere friends who care for him, has a job, a hobby and a boyfriend. And nothing looks that bad anymore. Sicheng smiles and places his hand on top of Yukhei’s, feeling warmth from it. He blinks when car slowly comes to a halt and sees only a restricted construction site in front of them. Yukhei looks giddy, buzzes with excitement, but Sicheng is bewildered, not knowing what they are doing here.

‘Cmon, get out, I’m gonna show you,’ Yukhei urges and Sicheng complies. ‘Where do you think we are?’

Sicheng looks around but there’s nothing around them but tall pine trees. They are not that far from the city, this forest is somewhere in the middle between city and a province. Yukhei takes his hand and leads him to the gates, nodding to two guards who let them in without any questions. Once they pass gates Sicheng can see bunch of old yellow cranes operated from the cabin, construction materials laid here and there and two vans somewhere far, obviously for crew. All in all it’s a general construction site picture that Sicheng has seen many times, so he doesn’t really get what’s so special about it. Yukhei’s grip on him tightens and alpha pushes him to the right, where passport of the object is scrambled on a big poster board.

‘Take a look,’ alpha prompts and Sicheng comes closer to read.

His eyes rakes over general information: whose responsible for the construction, when it started and approximate time of ending, company that’s sponsoring, what territory it is - and then he sees it. Reason of Yukhei’s excitement. Sicheng stops breathing for full five seconds, heart literally pausing before starting to beat two times faster. His throat dries out and to swallow is a struggle. Sicheng steps closer, not believing his eyes. On the right side of a poster board he sees a picture. Pretty picture of a very pretty house. The one he draw.

‘What…’ He murmurs and doesn’t even react when Yukhei hugs him from behind, wrapping strong arms around his middle. ‘What, I don’t-’

Sicheng is stunned to silence, when Yukhei whispers: ‘It’s your plan, babe. They decided to build a block of penthouses, not much only eight houses, premium class and all. But plan of the houses - it’s all yours.’

Shivers run down beta’s spine and he can’t do anything apart from staring with eyes wide open on the picture. It’s real. There is a passport of the site and cranes and building materials and _it is real_. Myriad of emotions rush through Sicheng, sweeping him off his feet; if it weren’t for Yukhei’s hold on him, he’d probably fall on his knees. Sicheng registers soft kisses that Yukhei presses on the left side of his face and reacts only after some moments, turning in alpha’s arms to face him. He searches Yukhei’s face for any trace of joke, but Wong only has this heartbreakingly adoring look in his eyes, lips curved in a small smile. Alpha presses him closer, tightening his hold and Sicheng doesn’t know if this move is the reason of oxygen being cut in his lungs or the fact that Yukhei leans dangerously close, breath fanning over his mouth.

‘That look in your eyes..’ Yukhei’s hand leave Sicheng’s waist and cradle his face instead. ‘Seeing that look was so worth dealing with that pricks all this time. I want to see that look more often. Always. All the fucking time.’

Sicheng surges forward and they kiss. It’s hot, mind-blowing, all consuming kiss that makes toes curl. Sicheng grips Yukhei’s waist, trying to find a purchase on his coat because otherwise his knees are too weak to hold him up. Yukhei keeps on kissing him, reaching the depths of Sicheng’s soul and crumbling all walls that beta has built. Sicheng thinks he can fly away like this, but Yukhei ends the kiss too soon with few gentle pecks on his lips.

‘Thank you,’ Sicheng whispers, not knowing words that can express his feelings better.

‘You don’t have to thank me, babe, I’m not the one who agreed to do the project,’ Yukhei says with a chuckle. His hands are still cradling Sicheng’s face and his thumbs caress his cheekbones. ‘And I’m not the one who drew it. I’m not even the one who’s building it, so.’

‘Still,’ Sicheng shakes his head, frowning. ‘It wouldn’t have happened without you.’

Yukhei coos at him, smiling. ‘And without you too.’ He then throws his arms wide, looking around. ‘So? How was my surprise?’

‘Perfect.’ Sicheng also looks around and then smiles widely. ‘The best.’

‘Well not the best, but I’m trying,’ Yukhei winks and hugs beta again. ‘Guards will close off in twenty minutes. Want to look around and then I’ll drive you home?’

They do exactly that. Yukhei shows him most of the territory, explains what’s going to be here and there, shows pictures on his phone of 3D models of houses. To Sicheng it feels like he’s walking on a cloud, afraid to come down and learn that all of this was a dream. Yukhei points at his name on the ‘designer’ column and it’s surreal. Guards are waiting for them by the time they finish and Sicheng stops, taking one last glance at the place.

‘You can visit,’ Yukhei says, gripping his hand. ‘If you’re interested to watch the progress and all that. I can make you a special pass.’

‘I’d like that,’ Sicheng answers. ‘You’ll also visit, right?’

‘I have to, I’m a project leader after all.’ Yukhei comically puffs his chest, making beta giggle. ‘I’ll drive you here whenever you want.’

Ease with which Yukhei says it makes Sicheng smile; Yukhei easily says things like that and if at first beta was wary then he learned that Yukhei always keeps his promises. Yukhei drives him home, joking that Taeyong is probably waiting for him to talk about dinner. They talk about how well Jaehyun and Taeyong look together, how happy they look. Sicheng learns that Jaehyun was never a fan of pda, but he shows it so naturally with Taeyong and looks so happy doing it, that Yukhei thinks they truly were meant to be. Sicheng shares how he generally never seen Taeyong being that enamored with another person.

‘You think it’s because they are destined mates?’ He asks, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

‘Being destined mates works on a physical level more than on emotional one,’ Yukhei answers and then turns to Sicheng. ‘Besides, we’re not destined mates, but I’m equally smothered with you as Taeyong is with Jaehyun.’

Sicheng tries not to blush but judging by Yukhei’s laughter he doesn’t succeed. Alpha’s words awake whole bunch of butterflies in his stomach and he hisses: ’Stop it! I told you to stop saying things like that!’

‘And I told you that I like making you blush, you look so cute!’

They arrive to Sicheng’s apartment after almost an hour being stuck in traffic, but beta doesn’t complain, not when he got to spend more time with his boyfriend. He sighs, thinking about how much stuff he has on his plate now: final exams, preparations for new year festival, graduation project. Sicheng already knows that he won’t be able to see Yukhei often and it does make him sad.

‘You really will come to watch me perform?’ He asks, when both of them gets out of the car. ‘You didn’t even check your calendar.’

‘Whatever’s on it, I still will come,’ Yukhei says surely and his confidence makes Sicheng feel thousand times better. ‘But I want best seats.’

‘Yongie was correct, Xiao and Hendery have them and they won’t budge,’ Sicheng smiles, thinking about his two friends. ‘They always sit there.’

‘But I’m your boyfriend!’ Yukhei exclaims, not caring if he sounds like a petulant child. ‘I should have the best seats!’

‘Sorry, they love me too much, they won’t move!’ Sicheng laughs, shaking his head.

Yukhei pauses. He has always been in tune with his intuition and it’s telling him that there is something here that he doesn’t catch, something more that meets the eye; but he doesn’t say anything on this, opting for kissing beta’s cheek. ‘We’ll talk about it later, okay? I’m not giving up that easily.’

They part with one more kiss and Sicheng rushes to his apartment, smiling when Taeyong’s already waiting for him with door wide open. ‘I saw you two from the window,’ Lee explains and lets his roommate in. ‘Soooo, what was the secret place?’

Sicheng giggles and shows his friend pictures of the construction site. Taeyong first looks confused but once the meaning catches up with him, Sicheng’s enveloped in the warmest hug. They shuffle to Taeyong’s room and cuddle there, talking about everything and anything. Sicheng falls asleep with his head on Yongie’s lap, omega’s fingers caressing his face; he falls asleep with head full of images of construction site and heart full of Yukhei.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and one more important thing such as double date is done! phewww  
> aren't these boys just the BESTEST BOYS IN THE UNIVERSE??🥺   
> how was itt, let me know!! <3 
> 
> last week of summer im :((( there won't be any long notes as usual, I just hope all of you are well and in good health! love you lots babes💜


	20. new beginnings

**December, 15**

Taeyong blinks at his monitor, biting his lower lip. Beginning of farewell letter glares at him, unfinished. He’s always been much better at speaking out his thoughts instead of writing them down like that. From one side it seems pretentious to write a farewell letter when he worked three months only, but he decided to do it only for his team and people he somehow contacted with throughout all months. His fingers shake a little when he types out ‘today is my last day in this company’ and he has to take few deep breaths to calm down. Lee didn’t tell this to anyone from his team in advance and now he regrets it; he’s not sure how everyone will take his sudden departure. Dropping a bomb on them like that now seems unfair, even though Taeyong didn’t want to tell immediately because he wanted to avoid the ruckus that will follow.

‘Taeyong!’ Joy waves to get his attention and he sighs, going to the girl. She’s staring at him with wide eyes and Taeyong already knows what she’s going to say even before she opens her mouth: ‘Oh my god I just learned that today is your last day! How come? What happened? You didn’t like it here?’

 _This_ is exactly the reason of Taeyong not wanting to tell anyone. Because people will start asking questions to which he doesn’t have honest answers and he hates lying. Everyone’s nosy and Taeyong’s okay with that, but most of the people also lack tactfulness and plainly ignore common set boundaries and _that_ makes him pissed. ‘It’s great here,’ he replies and looks around; Joy is rather loud and he doesn’t want anyone to eavesdrop. ‘But yeah, I need to go. It was nice knowing you, though. You were always very sweet.’

Joy brightens up, smiling from ear to ear. This technique works every single time - if you want person to drop the subject, just start complimenting them. It works perfectly on Joy, she immediately switches to another topic and Taeyong breathes out sigh of relief. Thank god she didn’t walk up right to his table, cause Jungwoo would have heard everything and Taeyong wants to tell everything himself.

‘It’s such a pity,’ Joy says in the end, pouting. She reaches out and caresses his shoulder. ‘But you’ll be fine, you’re so smart and talented!’

Taeyong smiles. ‘Thank you, Joy.’

They exchange few more pleasantries and then she’s gone with a big smile on her face. Lee sighs. Joy is not anywhere close to him, but he will miss even her. He felt this weird feeling all previous two weeks - missing something when it’s not even gone yet. There was a dull pain in his heart: not sharp enough to catch his attention, but also not small enough to be able to ignore it. Same thing happened to him in his previous work and it just happens in general with Taeyong, who focuses on only positive aspects and doesn’t want to remember bad things too; that way memory of a place stays beautiful and light and it’s always hard to leave then. But to current company Taeyong feels more; maybe it has something to do with Jaehyun or maybe with his team. Interesting how most of the directors and managers in HR did not realize a simple truth - people stay because of people. Not for money, not for good conditions or benefits. Human connection is essential for everyone and Taeyong met wonderful team in this company, so leaving pains him a lot; he’d happily go to a company lower on the rank, with smaller salary and benefit package if only he can have same guys in the team. Wendy is delightful in her quirkiness, openness, sincere interest in everything. Jungwoo is playful, funny and very agile, being able to react quickly on any changes. Haechan is a tease, bold, attentive to details, loud ball of sunshine. Yeri is shy, responsible and attentive. Taeyong cringes when he remembers everyone’s reaction to her move to another team. Jaehyun stoically kept poker face and even tone when he announced it last week and didn’t even flinch under a mass of questions from all of the guys. No one reacted favorably on this and Taeyong had to endure long hours listening to guys call Jaehyun different nasty names. He couldn’t tell them real reason and hearing all these wrong assumptions about his mate angered him; he wanted to stand up and call them out on their lies, wanted to shout at them to never call Jaehyun ‘asshole’ or ‘dick’ again, wanted to reestablish the truth. But he couldn’t. Overall atmosphere in the team changed after Yeri’s departure: all of the members held hidden resentment towards the manager and all meetings were very tense. Taeyong felt extremely guilty and was worried that Jaehyun might be hurting because of this, but his mate only shrugged: ‘ _They acted the same towards me when I first came. It’s alright, I understand them, they all liked her and I just moved her to another team and reasons that I have they find fishy. It’s alright, it’s not going to stay like that forever, don’t worry. They will come around._ ’ Taeyong hopes that whole ‘coming around’ thing will happen faster, cause it’s been two weeks and atmosphere was tenser than ever. He feared his departure will only worsen the situation.

‘Guys,’ he calls quietly, when he sits back on his chair. Wendy, Jungwoo and Haechan turn to him, all in the midst of working. ‘Do you have a minute? I wanted to talk with you all. We can go to any empty meeting room.’

‘Sure,’ Wendy easily agrees, turning and checking available rooms. ‘The one on the left is empty but only for thirty minutes, so we better be quick. C’mon everyone!’

Taeyong gulps. He tries not to look very nervous, but he’s admittedly not doing a very good job. Wendy goes first, Jungwoo follows her closely, but Haechan stays with Taeyong, putting an arm on his shoulder. It startles omega, because Haechan rarely initiates physical contact first. When he turns to look at the lawyer of their team, Haechan smiles tight-lipped and pushes him forward. _Does he know?_

‘Lock the door,’ Wendy orders and Haechan obediently turns lock on the door.

Taeyong takes three steps forward and first looks around. His gaze catches every details in the room, but he can’t seem to look at his teammates, who all huddled close to the round table. Lee’s tongue froze and he can’t utter a word, nerves shooting through the roof. _God why this is so hard?_

‘Is this about a farewell letter?’ Wendy asks and when Taeyong’s head snaps up in surprise, she motions towards Haechan: ‘He saw it just now and told us.’

‘You didn’t lock your screen, I wanted to take stickers from your table, but screen was on and I saw it.’ Haechan explains, hands in the pockets of his jeans.

All of them are standing close to each other, shoulders brushing, identical tense looks on their faces. Taeyong bites his lip when only female in their team hugs herself, trying to become smaller, to shrink; Jungwoo wraps one arm around her shoulders. Haechan looks at Taeyong unblinking and omega feels like he’s betraying all of them here, although it’s not like that.

‘Why?’ Jungwoo asks, ruining the silence. His voice shakes with restraint as he asks again: ‘Why farewell letter? Why are you leaving?’

‘Is it also because of Mr.Jung?’ Haechan asks, eyebrows drawn together. ‘I swear to fucking god if answer is yes I’m going to HR and writing a complaint on him, what the actual fuck-’

‘No!’ Taeyong exclaims, shaking his head. ‘It’s not because of him, he did nothing! I decided to leave myself.’

This seems to confuse all of the members, as their postures lose the tension and they step closer, bewildered. Wendy reaches out to Taeyong, taking his hand in hers, squeezing it. Question is clear in her eyes but she’s not voicing it, probably afraid that her voice will break if she opens her mouth. Her big eyes are staring at him and she’s close to crying, Taeyong can see it and it’s _horrible_.

‘I thought we were all good with each other,’ Jungwoo says and looks around for confirmation. Everyone nods and then he rises his voice, hands going up: ‘If you don’t have problems with us, then why?!’

‘Were you offered a better position?’ Haechan asks. It’s obvious how he’s trying to reach a logical conclusion with the way he’s frowning and looking deep in a thought. ‘In which company? Is it really that much better than here? If yes then take me too.’

Taeyong wasn’t offered any better position; in fact, his searchings for a new job were fruitless. But now this seems like the most ideal lie he can tell without hurting anyone, so he holds on for it like for the last straw. ‘Yeah,’ he says and their faces change, understanding passing between them. ‘It’s a start-up of my friends.’

That’s not a _total_ lie - Taeyong did have a talk with Johnny and Yuta and the possibility of them picking him up in their start-up. Both alphas reacted with enthusiasm, saying that they need his brain in order to grow bigger. Going to them was his back-up option in case he doesn’t find anything better, so he’s not really shamelessly lying.

‘You’re tired of corporate structure?’ Wendy asks, drawing his attention to her. ‘Cause start-up..I assume it’s small, right?’

‘It’s his friends,’ Jungwoo cuts in, shrugging. ‘If my friends had something and needed help I’d be gone out of here too. It makes sense.’

Taeyong sends grateful smile to Jungwoo and boy returns it with a nod. His departure is way too soon after Yeri’s move, he understands how everyone feels unbalanced. Jungwoo comes up to him and goes for a hug, Taeyong happily hugging back, feeling relief from physical affection. Jungwoo and Haechan always treated him like an older brother, liked to jokingly battle for Taeyong’s attention and always smiled whenever he was with them. To see them now with no smiles on their faces makes Taeyong want to punch himself.

‘We still will hang out, right?’ Haechan asks timidly. ‘Like…by the way we are all acting here, it seems like Taeyong will just block our numbers once he leaves.’

‘Yeri moved and now Taeyong’s leaving, excuse us for being a bit emotional,’ Wendy mutters and then turns to Taeyong with a small smile on her face. ‘Well, in this case, I’m happy for you. Hopefully you’ll turn that start-up into something huge.’

Taeyong pats Haechan’s shoulder, ruffling his hair then. ‘Of curse we will still hang out,’ he assures him. ‘If you are in then I’m definitely up for that.’

‘Of course we are in!’ Jungwoo says loudly and ignores Wendy’s attempts to shush him. ‘You are not getting rid of us that easily.’

It feels freeing. They hug, they talk some more but tension has dissipated and it’s a usual friendly conversation that they always have. Of course sadness still lingers, Taeyong can feel it loom over their heads, but everyone tries hard not to think about it now. Wendy proposes to go out after work tonight and everyone agrees, Taeyong also supporting this idea with an enthusiasm. Haechan jokingly asks if he needs flowers from them, Jungwoo promises to go out during lunch and buy him something pretty that will serve as a reminder about his time in the company. It’s nice and when other team enters meeting room, they quickly exit and go back to their places smiling, not frowning.

‘Should we invite Mr.Jung with us tonight?’ Jungwoo whispers.

‘Let’s do it, that way he will pay. Let’s pick hella fancy place, something so expensive that he will have to spend a fortune on us! I suggest that new restaurant by the river, damn I’d never go there on my own, so-’ Haechan answers and receives a slap on the back from Wendy. ‘What? Jeez, I’m obviously joking!’

‘I think if we won’t invite him it’d be rude,’ Taeyong inserts. ‘Wendy can you send an invitation? Choose place yourselves guys, I don’t really care.’

At lunch Jungwoo disappears and comes back with a grinning face and small box in his hands. Inside the box was a photo tree with all photos of them together on tree branches. This gift warmed up omega’s heart, Taeyong wanted to cry from the feeling of being appreciated by his team. Only three months but they feel much longer, like he’s been here a year, no less. Wendy did teared up a little, but Haechan hissed at her to stop or else he’ll cry too and they both ended up hugging Taeyong tight. Wendy also sent an invitation to their manager and Jaehyun accepted it, asking them to choose any place. Haechan, despite all of the jokes, chose a simple family restaurant close to their company so they can walk there after work. Taeyong finishes his farewell letter, sending it and then spending rest of the day receiving hugs, good wishes and same questions that vary from ‘why?’ to ‘can you also recommend me to wherever you’re going?’. By the end of the day Taeyong doesn’t have his laptop anymore, just like his pass to the company and whatever stationery he’s been given. It’s sad to see his table empty, just like realizing that this is not his table anymore. He wishes he could stay - this company is international, has biggest clients, he can learn a lot here and grow both on personal and career level; it’s too bad that he has to go. Lee tries to cheer himself up by thinking that he still has Wendy, Jungwoo and Haechan, that he still will hang out with them. While others finish their tasks, he grabs his coat and goes to the exit, silently thanking this company for everything. For giving him good opportunities, tough challenges, nice colleagues. For Jaehyun, first and foremost.

‘There you are!’ Wendy exclaims and rushes to his side, hugging him. ‘Woo and Haechan are coming. Did you see Mr.Jung?’

Just when she asks that Jaehyun appears from the corner along with two boys from the team, all talking animatedly about something. Taeyong blinks in surprise, because he thought that silent treatment from Jungwoo and Haechan to their manager will last longer, but apparently he was wrong and thankfully so.

‘We’re ready, let’s go!’ Jungwoo pushes everyone to the door.

Taeyong laughs and almost jumps out of his skin when he feels Jaehyun’s hand on his back. Jaehyun presses himself closer and his lips graze Taeyong’s forehead for seconds before he pulls back. Omega’s heart stutters and Taeyong tries his hardest not to smile widely even though he very much wants to. Action by Jaehyun went unnoticed by team members because they were ahead of them and Taeyong catches up, not trusting himself if he again will be left with Jaehyun, what if he just forgets about everything and leans on alpha? That would do no good.

‘Are we drinking alcohol or are we not?’ Haechan asks once they enter a very cozy restaurant with not many people inside. ‘Are we keeping it classy?’

‘Taeyong is leaving, I’m definitely drinking,’ Jungwoo mutters, going to the table next to the big window. ‘Anyone else? Wendy, c’mon darling, let’s get drunk together.’

‘Tipsy, not drunk,’ Wendy corrects him and smiles when Jaehyun pulls out a chair for her. ‘Thank you.’

‘If you two are drinking then me too,’ Haechan says, grinning. ‘Taeyong, you in? Couple shots, c’mon!’

Taeyong agrees, although he’s not very good at holding his liquor in. He’s embarrassingly lightweight, so he makes a mental note to not drink much; besides Jaehyun is here and while Lee is definitely not shy to show his different sides, he’s more nervous to do it in front of other team members. They order food and drinks and conversation falls to remembering Taeyong’s first day, what impression he made on who, that kind of stuff. It’s funny, entertaining and Taeyong enjoys the way it never gets too personal. Topics are rather general and he doesn’t have to watch his tongue in order not to spoil something, not to give out his secrets - it’s relaxing. Alcohol relaxes him even more, two shots of soju already give his body a nice buzzing feeling. He’s not in the state of dizziness yet, but Jungwoo and Haechan keep on ordering more and more and watching as even Wendy and Jaehyun drink, Taeyong also decides to indulge himself a little. He’s not big on alcohol normally, so his body reacts instantly; one more shot and he feels pleasantly tipsy. Jaehyun is sitting next to him and it takes all of his willpower not to lean on alpha in order not to make everyone question his actions; it’s hard, because all he wants is to snuggle up to his mate and have his head kissed.

‘Mr.Jung, is your alcohol tolerance high? You’re not even red.’

Jaehyun, who drank as much as all of them did, only nodded. He’s used to much stronger liquor, whiskey or cognac and his tolerance is pretty high, so soju is nothing to him. It’s honestly pretty entertaining to watch others struggle to keep a straight face, while he’s the one who’s completely unaffected. When Wendy excuses herself to the ladies room and Jungwoo is too enamored in his argument with Haechan, Jaehyun turns to look at his mate and smiles at the way Taeyong is so obviously tipsy: his gaze is glazed, cheeks pink. Jaehyun wants to lean and kiss those rosy lips, whisper how cute omega looks, make him giggle. He sighs happily, realizing that today is the last day when he has to restrain himself. He knows he can’t do anything outright affectionate - even if it is Taeyong’s last day, new policies in their company will start working only at the end of the year that’s one and for the second Taeyong didn’t give any sign that he wants to disclose their relationships - he still reaches out below the table and pats Taeyong’s left knee. Omega startles at this but then instantly relaxes, smiling contently. He spreads his legs a bit further, pushing his knee closer to alpha, a little gesture that makes Jaehyun happy; it’s good to know that his mate seeks physical affection just as he does. For the rest of the evening Jaehyun’s hand stays on Taeyong’s knee and no one says anything, all being far too buzzed to notice. They don’t say for long, after one hour Wendy pointedly looks at the watch and glares at Jungwoo and Haechan, who take turns in telling how much Taeyong means to them. It’s cute, really, but Jaehyun much rather bring Taeyong back home, he sees that omega is very close to just falling asleep right here and now. In the end Jaehyun pays and orders taxi for Wendy, keeping her in a vertical position while Jungwoo and Haechan do the same for Taeyong. They all huddle close to each other due to cold weather and wait for their taxis, making plans for the next hang out. Taeyong fully leans on Haechan and while the more they stay outside the quicker fog around his head disappears, he still likes this floating feeling, likes knowing that no one is offended, that he is still well-liked within his now ex-team. He’s also really sleepy but tries his best to stay awake for the sake of others.

‘Don’t you dare to leave our group chat!’ Wendy jokingly threatens him and then kisses his cheek, when Taeyong nods. ‘And stop by sometimes, okay? Don’t become a stranger.’

Jaehyun helps her get into taxi and pays in cash to the driver, telling him to be extra careful. Jungwoo and Haechan leave together after making Taeyong promise that he won’t block their numbers and that they still will be friends. They both sway a little, but manage to get into taxi on their own, waving frantically at them. Taeyong waves back with a laugh and sighs in satisfaction, when Jaehyun pulls him to his side once car with his two teammates turns left. Omega smiles at the little kisses he receives on his head and lets himself be smothered in a hug, breathing in Jaehyun’s scent. It’s nice. It’s familiar, warm and something what Taeyong needed whole day.

‘All good?’ Jaehyun asks quietly, hugging him tight. Taeyong nods into his chest and alpha smiles, patting his head. ‘Let’s get you home, you, drunk baby.’

‘Not drunk,’ Taeyong mutters and hides his smile at the way Jaehyun laughs. His chest vibrates with this sound and Taeyong is okay with staying here like that and listening to this laughter forever. ‘Just tipsy.’

‘Alright, just tipsy guy, I’m taking you home.’

They walk to the car as quickly as they can manage with Taeyong tripping on his own legs. It’s hilarious, really, but Jaehyun’s more concerned with omega catching cold in this weather and he doesn’t let them stop and take a breath until they’re inside and he turned heater on. Taeyong yawns, covers his mouth with a hand and sits comfortably, pulling seat down, almost lying instead of sitting. He’s humming some unfamiliar tune under his breath and looks like the definition of ‘adorable’ with half-closed eyes and pouty lips. Jaehyun moves to buckle his seatbelt and coos, when Taeyong pecks him in the cheek when alpha’s face gets close to his.

‘We should get you this tipsy more often,’ Jaehyun jokes and settles his hand on Taeyong’s thigh. ‘How did you like this outing?’

Taeyong stifles a yawn and stretches, covering Jaehyun’s hand with his. Their fingers intertwine and stay like that on omega’s thigh. ‘Good. Sad. Nice.’

Taeyong obviously is struggling not to fall asleep and his words come out slurred. Jaehyun glances at him and squeezes his fingers. ‘Babe, we’re not that from your home, don’t sleep. Just wait a bit more.’

He doesn’t know what to say on Taeyong’s reply. This whole situation can’t be described with any positive words but as Taeyong was silent all the time and didn’t share his worries with Jung, alpha thought that maybe his mate is not taking this close to heart. He now understands that he was wrong, but pushing Taeyong in order to have him share his thoughts and worries didn’t seem right.

‘I’m sorry,’ Jaehyun whispers, carefully letting go of Taeyong’s head in order to caress his cheek. ‘I don’t want you to be sad.’

‘It’s okay,’ Taeyong mumbles and yawns loudly, making alpha smile fondly. ‘They are not offended, that’s what matters the most. But it’s sad, I wanted to stay. But oh well, whatever. It’ll be good with Johnny and Yuta.’

Jaehyun doesn’t answer on this, just drops his hand from omega’s cheek back to his hand. Taeyong stays awake but barely so and Jaehyun has to half-carry him to his apartment. When Sicheng opens the door he looks confused but when Taeyong exclaims: ‘Sichengie! I went out with my team for my last day!’, he simply nods and thanks Jaehyun for bringing him up.

‘Give him water,’ alpha advises, watching as Sicheng helps Taeyong get rid of the shoes.

‘I know,’ beta says and smiles a little. ‘I’ll take care of him, you don’t have to worry.’

Taeyong then turns back to Jaehyun and quickly goes for a loud smooch, giggling when he leans back. ‘Bye, Jaehyunnie.’

‘Bye baby, sleep tight.’

Jaehyun waves and stays in the doors, watching Sicheng taking Taeyong to his room. Beta’s head then appears and he waves to Jaehyun, who waves back. He can hear Taeyong’s whining over apparently too tight pants and chuckles - it’s too cute. He waits for Sicheng to show up again and only then goes away, not wanting to overstay his welcome.

‘Is he sad?’ Sicheng asks, when Jaehyun is about to close the door. ‘Because of the last day?’

‘I think so, yeah.’ Jaehyun frowns, nodding. ‘But he didn’t say anything to me.’

‘Of course he didn’t.’ Sicheng rolls his eyes and then steps closer. They still are a bit awkward with each other, so when beta reaches out to pat Jaehyun’s shoulder it makes both of them kinda uneasy, but Jaehyun appreciates the sentiment. ‘Did you find him work?’ Jaehyun blinks. Sicheng also then looks confused for a moment: ‘Oh sorry, I just assumed that you probably were looking. I was, but I have only one variant so far.’

‘I was,’ Jaehyun quickly says. ‘Looking, I mean. I have two variants in case he decides not to go to these guys. Johnny..?’

‘And Yuta, yeah.’ Sicheng nods and smiles. ‘Good. I’ll let you know if he needs a bit of a push.’

Jaehyun smiles gratefully. ‘Thank you, Sicheng.’

This time when they shake hands it’s less awkward. They smile at each other and Jaehyun hopes that he passed whatever test he has to in order to be liked by your mate’s best friend.

+=+

Xiaojun breathes out when Kun leaves the room in order to cook them something for lunch. Omega grips pillow in his hand and chews on his bottom lip. It’s not okay that he feels relief when his boyfriend leaves the room. It shouldn’t be like that and Xioajun hates himself for feeling so. Last two weeks of their relationships were strained at its best and there was no Kun’s fault in it; he was his usual caring and responsible self, it was Xiaojun who kept putting distance between them more and more. Kun was probably thinking that Xiaojun was going through a rough period of time and that his boyfriend will share all his worries when he feels like it. Xiao had exams whole weeks, but studying never impacted his overall mood, because he took it easy and usually got his B- or B+ without exhausting himself to the point of entering depression. No, the problem was not in exams. Xiaojun couldn’t bear to stay with Kun anymore and last weeks he was trying to find a nice way to break-up without messing up alpha’s heart. Just thinking about it makes omega wince; he really is an A+ class asshole this time.

‘Xiao, rice with veggies, that’s alright?’ Kun shouts from the kitchen.

‘Sure!’ Xiaojun shouts back.

Xiao looks at the clock on the wall and sighs impatiently - he has classes only in four hours and leaving before them will not look good. Not like he should somehow care if he decided to break up anyway, but he owes Kun some decency, at least. His phone chimes with a notification and when he grabs it he can’t stop wide smile forming on his face - it’s from Hendery. His friend sent him a selfie of himself, hair tousled, pillow creases on his cheek, one eye closed and another half-open; they always send each other random selfies instead of just saying ‘hi’. Xiaojun giggles and fondly stares at the picture - even in the half awake state Hendery manages to look like a prince, it’s not fair. He quickly snaps selfie and sends it back: Xiaojun doesn’t have to worry with somehow finding the right angle or looking exceptionally good, it’s just Hendery after all and he always finds him pretty. Reply comes not even two seconds after - five heart-eyes emojis and five red hearts in the row. Xiaojun’s heart sings and he almost squeals when Hendery sends ‘ _looking very pretty junnie_ ’ after that. A dark thought suddenly pulls him out and he blinks, realizing that the best thing that happened today, in this morning for him is Hendery’s message. Not waking up next to Kun, not lying next to him, not spending time with his boyfriend - but message from a friend. With this Xiaojun’s decision to break up only strengthens and he chooses not to wait any longer and do it while he has the courage. He stomps into the kitchen and freezes, when Kun turns with that gentle smile on his face, cutting vegetables.

‘Want to help, darling?’ He asks and Xiaojun’s heart can’t take it. This gentleness is killing him. ‘I’m almost done, but can you check rice?’ Omega doesn’t move. He just stares at his boyfriend until Kun looks up with raised eyebrows. ‘Xiaojun? Everything’s okay?’

 _No, it’s not. I’m tired and this relationship doesn’t make me happy, it feels like an obligation, it ties me up to you and I don’t want it, don’t want you._ Xiaojun’s throat constricts and he can’t swallow because of that; his pulse drums in his ears. Kun sensed that something’s wrong and put knife down, focusing all of his attention on his boyfriend.

‘Xiao-’

‘Let’s break up.’ Xiaojun suddenly blurts out.

Kun blanches like he’s been burn, eyes growing impossibly wide. _‘What?’_

‘Please, just-’ Xiaojun sighs, closing his eyes. ‘Just let’s break up, Kun. I can’t take it anymore.’

Maybe Xiaojun should have been nicer. Maybe he should have found a better time to say it. Maybe words should have been chosen more carefully. Or maybe there just wasn’t a way to somehow make it less painful for Kun. Alpha first looks shocked but then his face shows how hurt he is; his scent also changes, grows headier and full of resentment. Tense silence falls upon them and Xiaojun literally feels it prickling his skin like tiny needles with pressure.

‘You can’t take it anymore,’ Kun repeats slowly, voice cold. He doesn’t look at omega, not sure if he can handle it. He darkly chuckles: ‘What exactly you can’t take anymore?’ But before Xiaojun can even open his mouth he continues: ‘You sound like I beat you up every day. Like I control you, don’t let you do what you want. You make it seem like I’m toxic-’

‘Please,’ Xiaojun interrupts, not being able to take it. His heart bleeds and he can’t just stand still and listen to this. His eyes are squeezed shut and he pinches bridge of his nose, frowning: ‘Let’s not do this. Can’t we just-’

‘No, we can’t break up just like that!’ Kun cuts him off harshly. ‘We can’t break up without you giving me at least one explanation. Where is this even coming from?’

Xiaojun doesn’t understand how alpha couldn’t see all of the sign, little and not so little signals that he gave out. It only served as a back up for his point that Kun really did see what he wanted to see in Xiaojun instead of seeing the real him. If everything was perfect for Kun then Xiaojun has nothing to say. He knows that staying silent is not an option, but he struggles to find an answer. What can he say that won’t pull him further into the argument? What can he say to just end this, to stop this heartache? He doesn’t want to stay here any longer, talk about this or face Kun - it’s too much.

‘I don’t love you.’ He says quietly but firmly. Xiaojun slowly looks up, meeting Kun’s gaze dead on and repeats: ‘I just don’t.’

This truth seems to do the trick. Kun’s shoulder lose their tension and he deflates like a balloon. He looks disoriented, like ground has been pulled off his feet. Alpha stares at Xiaojun’s face and sees only determination and not even a trace of smile. Kun never thought he’d hear these words from his boyfriend, his omega, his supposed to be mate. Was he too quick to jump on conclusions that Xiaojun is the one? Oh but he has to be! Weren’t they perfect for each other? Kun honestly that they didn’t have problems. Could he have been that blind?

‘Love doesn’t come quickly,’ alpha mutters and then clears his throat, looking at omega: ‘It’s okay, I also didn’t fall in love with you right away, I can wait for you to come around.’

Xiaojun blinks and stares at alpha disbelievingly. He may be breaking up with Kun and he supposedly shouldn’t care, but he can’t just stand silently when Kun is doing this to himself. Xiao storms forward and stands in front of an alpha with a chair between them. ‘ _You are too good for this_ ,’ he says almost angrily. ‘You deserve someone much better and there are many people out there who dream and pray for a guy like you. Don’t wait for me, I- you know it, Kun. You know why. You know who I love.’

Kun closes his eyes in refusal to accept this. Most horrifying thing is that deep inside he knows. Always thought about it, but always successfully pushed this thought to the back of his mind, deeming it stupid. Suspicion crawled into his spine whenever he saw Xiaojun with Hendery, but he didn’t want to seem controlling and said nothing. God how stupid he was, the truth was under his nose all this time.

‘Isn’t he with Ten?’ Kun asks, voice avid of emotion. ‘I thought you said they’re together.’

‘Kind of.’ Xiaojun replies flippantly, pursing his lips.

Kun raises his eyebrow. ‘How can you be with someone only ‘kind of’ together?’

Xiaojun blinks and blurts out: ‘Oh my god, you sound like a grandpa!’ and then tries his hardest not to laugh out loud.

Kun hates himself. Hates how at the sight of omega’s smile his heart started beating two times harder. Hates how after all of this he still wants Xiaojun back in his arms, wants to kiss his lips and whisper sweet nothings into his ear. Hates how he knows that staying together is fruitless and will only lead to a bigger heartbreak in the long term, but he still wants it. That’s pretty pathetic if you ask him and alpha refuses to be pathetic. He has some pride after all.

‘Consider us broken up,’ he says seriously, trying to keep a stoic face. ‘I won’t beg you to come back.’

‘You shouldn’t,’ Xiaojun nods and then steps back further and further away from Kun. Alpha has to put his hands into fists in order not to reach out for omega. ‘I’m… I’m just going to- I’m just going. Bye, Kun.’

Xiaojun dashes into bedroom and comes back with his backpack and phone after few seconds, not even looking at alpha. Kun understands desire to leave this place, knows it’s too awkward and pressuring to handle, but he wishes Xiao could just stop and look back. Let Kun look into his eyes one more time.

‘I…’, Xiaojun puts on his shoes and then hesitantly pushes door open. He turns back to alpha, eyes filled with regret. ‘Thank-’

‘Bye, Xiao.’ Kun interrupts, because he can’t stand to hear this ‘thank you’ when Xiaojun is leaving anyway.

Omega looks startled for a second but then nods and closes the door from the other side. Without any pauses Xiaojun rushes from this apartment to the bus stop. He doesn’t notice anything and gets in the bus and out on his stop on an autopilot, head full of thoughts. He can’t believe that this is real, that he has just broken up with Kun. He did it mostly for himself, but also for Hendery, but … he has Ten. Xiaojun feels dizzy; what if his thing with Ten turned serious? What if chooses Ten over him? Omega shakes his head. _I did it for myself,_ he thinks, slowing down and going back to his dormitory on a normal pace. _Even if Hendery is serious with Ten, I should have broken up with Kun anyway_. He thinks over his whole dialogue with Kun, when he notices holder of his heart in front of him. Hendery walks to the gates, but stops at the sight of Xiao, waving his hand in a greeting enthusiastically. Omega starts walking slower, lips widening in a smile when his friend rushes to him, looking too cute in an oversized coat and bright pink scarf.

‘Junnie,’ Hendery calls and opens his arms wide, welcoming Xiaojun into them with a smile on his face. ‘Are you coming from Kun?’

Xiaojun nods and stays in Hendery’s arms, not breaking the hug. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I don’t have classes today, but I wanted to see you and thought I could walk you to your class.’

Xiao’s heart skips a beat. He has a _chance_ , right? He leans back a little, so he can get a better look on his friend’s face. Hendery has this soft, loving stare that he always has when he looks at him and omega braces himself. _Now or never_. ‘I broke up with Kun,’ he says, gripping Hendery’s shoulders. ‘Just now.’

Hendery’s eyes widen and something passes his face, some emotion that Xiaojun can’t decipher. Beta stays silent for few beats and then his hand tighten on omega’s waist, gesture that gives Xiao hope. ‘Because he did something?’ Hendery asks and he frowns. ‘Cause if he did I’m gonna-’

‘No!’ Xiaojun shakes his head so frantically that his fringe ends up covering his eyes. Hendery chuckles and quickly helps him get his vision clear again, smiling while pushing his hair to the side. ‘He didn’t do anything. I broke up with him because I don’t love him.’

Hendery searches Xiao’s face for traces of regret but finds none. Omega looks at him like he’s trying to tell him something without actually opening his mouth and Hendery thinks he understands, but he’s too scared to get his hopes up. _Could it be…?_ Beta swallows, pulling Xiaojun closer although they are already plastered to each other.

‘You don’t love him,’ he repeats and omega nods. ‘Do you… love someone else?’

A beat of silence passes between them. Xiaojun bites his lower lip, looking into Hendery’s eyes. He sees unhidden hope and understands that now it’s not time to play coy. So omega lays all of his cards bare, telling honestly: ‘I really want to kiss you right now, but I’m not sure if it’s gonna be okay cause you have Ten and…yeah.’

Hendery blinks and then leans back. He’s searching for his phone and then calls someone, baffling Xiaojun. What the hell is going on? Omega is too stunned in order to somehow react on this, but confusion passes once he understands who Hendery is calling.

‘Ten? Hi,’ Hendery says, eyes glued on Xiaojun’s face. ‘Yeah, I’m good. Listen- no, wait, listen to me. Xiaojun broke up with Kun.’ There’s a silence and no matter how much Xiao strains his hearing he still can’t figure out what Ten is saying on the other end of the phone. ‘Yeah, he’s with me now. Yeah. Sure, tomorrow. Okay, bye, see you.’ Xiaojun stares with an open mouth and Hendery chuckles, hiding his phone and again wrapping arms around omega. ‘Ten says hi and says it’s been long time overdue. He wishes us luck.’

Before Xiaojun can even reply to this Hendery leans in and kisses him. Omega’s eyes flutter close immediately and he kisses back without hesitation, happiness skyrocketing of the fact that he’s not rejected. Of the realization that he can have this now, every day, every moment. He can’t stop smiling and it’s kinda hard to kiss because of this, so Hendery gives up with a fond look on his face.

‘I was scared you might reject me,’ Xiaojun confesses quietly.

‘Reject you?’ Hendery asks, incredulous. He traces Xiaojun’s face with his fingers and smiles. ‘Junnie, I love you. What you and I have, what we always had… it’s the best thing in the world. Literally everyone saw it but us.’

‘We are pretty stupid,’ Xiaojun states and giggles, when Hendery kisses his nose two times.

‘Very stupid.’ Hendery agrees, looking adoringly at blushing omega.

They kiss again and then again and again, not caring about passing people or freezing to death in their not so warm coats. Xiaojun feels lightheaded and he leans on beta, sighing happily when he receives kisses to the head. He realizes he didn’t say the most important thing and snaps his head up so fast, he knocks Hendery’s chin, making beta groan in pain.

‘Sorry-sorry! I just wanted to say that I love you too!’

‘I know that you do,’ Hendery mutters, groaning but mostly faking it, enjoying Xiao fussing over him. ‘I know that you love me and Winwin.’ Xiaojun pauses at the mention of their close friend and his bottom lips juts out. He looks like a kicked puppy and Hendery sighs, rubbing omega’s back soothingly. He know exactly what’s going on in Junnie’s head, cause he feels and thinks the same. ‘I know baby, I know. It’s okay.’

‘He seems to be happy with that Lucas guy,’ Xiaojun mumbles.

Hendery groans noncommittally. He has many opinions about the said Lucas guy, but he better keep them to himself now in order not to stir up some tension. He pecks Xiao in the lips few times and turns him towards the dormitory, not being able to bear the cold anymore. He’s surprised how by the sudden confession and revelation nothing changed between them: his feelings didn’t somehow grow bigger, they didn’t start acting differently around each other. Hendery used to hold Xiaojun’s hand in his pocket, just like he’s doing now. He’s used to hug and pepper his face in kisses, just like he’s doing now. It’s like his heart finally fell into the right place, because now doing this feels .. better, somehow. Like he has a full right to do this. It’s great. He grips Xiaojun’s hand tighter in the pocket of his coat and gets an answering squeeze back.

‘Oh, are we going to practice after my class?’ Xiaojun asks.

And they are back to normal. Nothing changed, but now Hendery can shut up Xiaojun with a kiss. Now he can call him loudly ‘my boyfriend!’ just to tease, to see omega blush prettily. They are still best friends, closest friends, but only now their affection and love towards each other can be put into a frame that considered normal by society. In the middle of the talk Xiaojun suddenly leans and pecks Hendery’s lips before continuing his rant about New year festival. Hendery can’t stop this growing smile on his face - nothing changed and everything did at the same time. And it’s great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my xiaodery heart is impossibly full!! i love them here so much :(
> 
> IMPORTANT: im finally leaving for vacation because if im gonna hear my manager's voice one more time im gonna commit something illegal :) so the only way to not put a bigger strain on everything was for me to take a vacation and im ouuuut of this damn country and off to beaches in turkey!! so this fic probably won't be updated for 10 days or so (two weeks max). hope you won't lose the interest :( 
> 
> how did you like this chapter? AND NEW YEAR FESTIVAL NEXT! a whole chapter full of sichengie yesssss im super excited!! and who knows...maybe i'll decide on smut... :P no promises :) 
> 
> love you babes! are you spending last summer days with fun? autumn hopefully won't be cold and at least first month we all will have good weather. kissing you all on your noses, have a great upcoming week <3


	21. new year festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> new year festival is finally here! also, just wanted to quickly say that sometimes ao3 doesn't send notifications about new chapters SO in case you haven't read about taeyong leaving company and xiaojun breaking up with kun - you should first read previous chapter! 
> 
> AND song used in this chapter is 'Tonight (Best you ever had)' by John Legend and Ludacris! enjoy :)

‘Guys, food’s here, eat up!’

Sicheng blinks, needing few seconds to focus on what’s going on in front of him. Taemin brought a huge tray full of burgers and soft drinks, immediately getting crowded by other members of the dance crew. Only Sicheng and Kai didn’t move, both leaning on the wall opposite of the door and breathing heavily. Sicheng couldn’t even look at food, thought of having anything in his stomach makes him want to puke; he knows he should give his body energy, but nerves are churning inside and he’s sure he won’t be able to actually swallow anything. Kai pats his shoulder, but youngster doesn’t react, just sighs loudly. His body trembles after an exhausting dance practice and standing up seems to be an impossible feat.

‘You need to eat,’ Kai mutters but doesn’t stand himself. ‘You’ll collapse if you don’t.’

‘I’ll eat if you do,’ Sicheng answers and smiles a little when his elder friend whines loudly. He knows very well that Kai is similar to him in this. ‘Go.’

‘Ah, Dong Sicheng, I hate you!’ Kai grumbles but stands up and takes two burgers, plopping next to Sicheng then. ‘Here, eat and don’t whine.’

Sicheng chuckles and takes burger, slowly unwrapping it. Eating still doesn’t sound appealing, but Kai dives in and Sicheng follows his example. Festival starts in four hours and everything about it makes Sicheng wants to run. Or hide. To do anything that will make him not appear in front of an audience. It’s weird cause he expected it so much, waited for this moment for so long, wanted to get into Taemin’s dance so much and now when all of this is literally few hours ago he suddenly feels like changing passport and flying somewhere very far from here. Sicheng wishes for nothing but to become a part of Taemin’s performance - dancing legend said he’s going to pick three guys for his own dance. Sicheng tried his best and when he was announced as the last guy after Kai and Sehun, he almost didn’t believe it; only Kai’s strong arm and Sehun’s ‘good job!’ let him know that it’s real.

‘Eat, Sicheng, you won’t be able to dance otherwise,’ Kai insists, bringing boy back to the present. ‘Or are you too nervous? Is it because of the performance with Taemin?’

Sicheng nods, munching. ‘And people.’

‘Ah,’ Kai nods in understanding. ‘Is someone special coming? Your friends.. Hendery? And that one guy who’s always with you two-’

‘Xiaojun,’ Sicheng helps. ‘Them and Taeyong. And… two more people.’

For some reason Sicheng just can’t say that his boyfriend is coming. He’s kinda embarrassed and also he can’t say it mostly because he still can’t believe in this. When he first met Yukhei, when they were sitting in the cafe, talking and getting to know each other better, he never thought this would last. He never thought he’s going to see Yukhei again, much less call him his boyfriend. He pinched himself many times since the morning, but this dream was not ending. He’s more or less used to performing in front of Hendery, Xiao or Taeyong - they sometimes stop by at his practices and at the the third year he also performed with a crew on a festival. So performing in front of an audience is not foreign to him but for the first time he has a boyfriend as a viewer and that makes him much more nervous; what if he misses a step? or makes a fool of himself? what if Taemin made a mistake when he chose him for his dance? what if Yukhei ends up thinking he’s horrible?

‘Hey,’ Kai grips his shoulder and hands him sprite. ‘We all practiced hard enough, everything will go smoothly. Don’t worry.’

Not to worry is impossible to do in the state Sicheng’s in right now, but he still nods just to appeal to Kai. They finish their food and follow example of others - go to shower. Locker room is buzzing with energy and excitement: everyone’s talking loudly, joking, someone’s singing in the back. It’s loud and Sicheng can’t handle it now - he makes a beeline towards shower stalls and spends at least thirty minutes there, drowning all of the sounds in water, relaxing his muscles and trying to wash all of his worries away. Sicheng gets into his head too much sometimes and he can feel the same thing happening now: sinking feeling in his stomach threatens to grow and he forcefully changes track of his thoughts from festival to something more happier and less exhausting. He’s not even surprised when Yukhei gets in his mind first thing; it’s become natural, really. Thinking about alpha became his favorite thing way to spend time and if it makes him whipped then so be it - Sicheng is trying his best to not shy away from feelings, to accept them instead of covering them up. Lately Yukhei’s been on his mind an awful lot, much more than usual; lately his touch has been sending Sicheng’s skin on fire in the wildest ways possible, his kisses has made him crave them only more and more. Yukhei is nothing if not a gentleman: he never crosses any lines, always makes sure Sicheng’s comfortable. The most they have done at this point is making out for hours on alpha’s sofa instead of doing what they intended - cooking dinner together. Making out session left Sicheng breathless, heated and absolutely turned on - he thought he’d die if Yukhei left him at that moment. Only alpha didn’t; he stayed, he wrapped his arms tighter against younger boy and held him so close that Sicheng could hear his heartbeat and feel Yukhei's bulge pressing onto him. Knowing that he has the same effect on Yukhei that he has on him made beta feel so much better; it’s ridiculous because Yukhei has never been shy with affection, let Sicheng know that he wants him, but Sicheng still doubted it sometimes, still let dark thoughts into his mind. That time he moved a little, wiggling and stopping when Yukhei’s grip tightened with a low growl. (‘ _Baby boy_ ,’ he rasped and Sicheng’s whole body was covered in goosebumps in the next second: ‘ _Don’t tease me. Don’t test me when you’re not ready._ ’) Sicheng did stop at that time but he hasn’t been able to get this out of his mind. It’s like all he could think about was Yukhei’s kiss, touch, his husky voice, the way he holds Sicheng so surely and easily, how he makes beta feel welcomed in his arms. These thoughts are also fueled by Hendery and Xiao, who started dating and now didn’t hesitate to share kisses and touches in front of Sicheng; he didn’t mind, really. He was happy for his friends, these two are made for each other in his mind and seeing them all happy and in love melts his heart.

‘Sicheng, your phone!’ Someone shouts from the locker room.

Beta blinks and realizes he’s been just standing motionless for at least five minutes after he finished everything. He quickly reaches for his towel, wraps it around his hips and rushes to the locker room, where only three people stayed. Taemin motions to his locker and Sicheng nods, receiving a light pat on the butt from elder. ‘Don’t worry,’ Taemin mouthes and beta nods gratefully, finally finding his phone. He picks up without really looking and cringes when Xiaojun’s loud ‘Winwinnie!’ is the first thing he hears.

‘I think they are outside,’ Minho muses, gesturing towards the door. ‘Sound was definitely from there.’

Instead of listening to Xiaojun’s excited blubber, Sicheng walks to the exit and pushes door open. Minho’s right - both of his friends stand next to it and quickly jump on him once he’s out. Sicheng tries to stop them, tell them that he’s still wet from the shower, but Xiaojun’s relentless when he wants a hug and Hendery simply doesn’t care about getting his clothes wet. Surrounded by friends’ embrace Sicheng instantly relaxes, sighs in satisfaction and hugs them back as much as he can. Even if he looks cold and detached from outside, the truth is Sicheng loves physical touch and from close people he welcomes it eagerly.

‘Come in guys, we’re out. Sicheng, change quickly, I don’t want you to catch a cold suddenly,’ Taemin says before leaving and all three of them scramble inside, giggling.

‘We decided to see you now, cause then you’ll be with your dance crew,’ Hendery says, sitting on one of the benches. ‘How was the practice?’

‘Good but exhausting,’ Sicheng replies, starting to change. ‘What about you two? How was your practice?’ Xiaojun and Hendery will open the festival with their rendition of a famous song and Sicheng couldn’t wait to hear it. ‘All ready?’

‘Always ready!’ Xiaojun pipes in, watching with inept interest how Sicheng puts his clothes on. ‘Did you eat? We thought you’d be hungry after practice and bought you a burger on the way here.’

Sicheng smiles. A way into his heart is to show thoughtfulness in actions towards him and Hendery and Xiao really are the best at it, have always been from the very start. Even though he did eat recently he still sits in front of Hendery and unwraps burger that’s been handed to him, not wanting their efforts to go to waste. Xiaojun sits behind Sicheng and moves until his chest is glued to beta’s back, wrapping arms around his middle and clinging to him like a koala. Hendery doesn’t even blink at this, so Sicheng also doesn’t do anything. At first he thought that since these two are together now, their cuddle sessions will halt but only the opposite happened. Xiaojun’s always very affectionate towards Sicheng and it stayed that way - Hendery never showed any negative emotions at this, he even encouraged this at most times, so Sicheng felt at ease, lightly placing his hand on top of omega’s, smiling.

‘Your boyfriend called,’ Hendery says and Sicheng looks up, surprised. ‘I think Taeyong gave him my number. He wanted to talk about seats and all that.’

‘What about seats?’ Sicheng blinks, slowing his chewing. ‘I arranged seats for all of them last week.’

‘He wanted us to give up our seats,’ Xiaojun replies, huffing. Even though Sicheng can’t see his expression, he knows that omega is pouting angrily. ‘Only because he’s your boyfriend! Like he matters more!’

Xiaojun sounds so undignified that Sicheng can’t help but chuckle and pat his friend’s thigh reassuringly, smiling to himself. Xiaojun is too cute to handle sometimes and when he turns to pinch omega’s cheek, he receives a blinding smile in return. Sicheng then looks at Hendery, but his beta friend is not smiling, looking way too serious for a simple conversation like that.

‘I told him no.’ Hendery says evenly, looking into Sicheng’s eyes. ‘Because we picked these seats first.’

That’s not the real reason for refusal, but Hendery doesn’t want to anything else. The truth is different. He said no because he didn’t like the tone Yukhei used. He said no because he didn’t like the way Yukhei obviously implied that he matters more simply because he’s Sicheng’s boyfriend, like Hendery and Xiaojun being his closest and best friends is not a big deal. (‘ _It’s my first and only time probably that I’ll ever see him performing, so cmon dude, give me those seats. What it matters to you? I’m his boyfriend after all_.’) Hendery got mad. The way his and Xiao’s love was put into the corner so carelessly angered him so much that he didn’t even think of Sicheng’s feelings when he bluntly refused. (‘ _We love him too_ ,’ he hissed, trying to control his voice. ‘ _No less than you do if you even do love him, cause who knows you do or don’t. Me and Junnie will be watching him from our seats, best seats. That’s the end of the conversation._ ’) But now, Hendery wasn’t sure if he did the right thing. Sicheng will obviously not like how he talked with his boyfriend, he wouldn’t want them to fight. What if Sicheng wanted his boyfriend instead of them there?

‘Alright,’ Sicheng nods and reaches out for Hendery’s hand. ‘Did something happen? You look really tense.’

‘Are you not mad that we didn’t give our seats?’ Hendery asks, chewing on his bottom lip. ‘Cause if you want, we can-’ Xiaojun makes a protesting noise but shushes when Hendery sends him a warning glare, ‘-we _can_ switch with him. No problem here.’

Sicheng looks confused. ‘It’s just a seat,’ he says, unsure, obviously not getting what caused such a big commotion. ‘And the ones that I arranged for him and Yongie and Jaehyun are literally behind you two. I don’t understand what’s the problem here.’

Hendery sighs. Of course he won’t get that this whole thing is not even about seats _at all_ \- and he better not or he’ll get sad and that’s the last thing that Hendery wants. Hendery still asks again so everyone can be clear if Sicheng wants him to switch seats with Lucas and when beta shakes his head he can’t help but grin triumphantly. Xiaojun whoops loudly and hugs their friend even tighter.

‘But you two didn’t fight, right?’ Sicheng asks, fully leaning on Xiaojun now, much to omega’s happiness. ‘Didn’t argue?’

‘Not really,’ Hendery lies and leans closer to boop Sicheng’s nose. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

Sicheng relaxes and closes his eyes. Xiaojun’s hand on his stomach starts to lightly caress him and then omega gets bolder and lifts up his shirt, so he can have skin to skin contact. When Sicheng doesn’t react on this, Xiaojun lowers his head and leaves two small kisses on beta’s cheek, fingers tracing faint outline of abs on his stomach. They stay in silence for some moments, Hendery not being to look away from the way Sicheng lays on Xiaojun, how omega caresses his stomach. It’s such a natural thing for all of them, Hendery hates that someone may look at it weirdly or with ignorance. He notices the exact time Xiaojun’s gaze darkens and how he leans in, grazing Sicheng’s cheek with tip of his nose. Hendery stays on watch, ready to snap Xiao out of it if Sicheng shows any sign of discomfort; but their beta friend only snuggles closer, eyes still closed, falling deeper into Xiao’s embrace. Omega smiles at this and kisses Sicheng’s temple first before starting to go lower. He leaves two kisses on his cheek, one at his jaw and stops at his neck, just breathing deeply - Sicheng almost sleepy now and doesn’t control his scent, it sips freely into the space between them, making both of his friends lightheaded. Xiaojun licks his lips and almost kisses Sicheng’s neck but Hendery’s kick in the shin stops him. ‘No’, Hendery mouthes and omega pouts, but listens and just rests his head on top of Sicheng’s.

‘You’ll do so well, Winwinnie,’ he whispers and Sicheng just hums in reply, not wanting to open his eyes. ‘Me and Hendery will scream your name the loudest.’

Sicheng groans, covers his face with hands but he’s smiling, they can tell. ‘Please don’t.’

‘We will,’ Hendery confirms and smiles, when Sicheng finally opens his eyes to look at them. ‘We will be your personal cheerleaders. Taeyong will fade in comparison to us.’

‘Oh my god,’ Sicheng breathes out, already imagining how all of this will go. ‘I’m going to be so embarrassed.’

‘Yeah and it’s going to be the cutest thing!’ Xiaojun coos and lets Sicheng sit up. ‘You’ll fall asleep any second, we should get you to your home.’

‘Too far away, wanna nap at my dorm?’ Hendery suggests and Sicheng nods, yawning. ‘Let’s go.’

They reach Hendery’s dorm in a record time - twenty minutes and Sicheng falls on beta’s bed without any preamble. He’s too tired to do anything else, but manages to move a little to accommodate wanting to cuddle Xiaojun. Hendery sets an alarm and only then squeezes himself next to his boyfriend, pushing chair close to bed so he won’t fall off. Heat from other guys lulls Sicheng to sleep faster than anything else and he’s lightly snoring in the next minutes, napping for a full hour until Hendery’s alarm rings off loudly. Xiaojun groans and hides his face in the crook of Sicheng’s neck, whining loudly when Hendery unwraps his arm around him.

‘We need to go and practice,’ Hendery mumbles and coos at two laying guys, quickly snapping a picture of them on his phone. He reaches out and untangles Xiaojun from Sicheng. ‘Wake up!’

Sicheng slowly opens his eyes, blinking few times before fully looking around. He sighs when weight of Xiaojun disappears from his body and stretches, yawning loudly. Nap was a good idea - he feels so much better now both from resting and from not having to worry about upcoming performance. All three of them go back to university, where preparations are on full mode. They part ways - Xiao and Hendery going to the vocal team, while Sicheng finds his dance crew members in the crowd. Buzz from everyone is contagious - soon Sicheng also trembles with excitement, while waiting for his turn for make-up. He’s wearing dark ripped jeans and black mesh t-shirt with nothing underneath - combined with a make-up that he’s about to get (eyes lined with charcoal pencil) he’ll look pretty daring and, well, quite sexy.

‘Winwin?’ Minho taps his shoulder. ‘You’re next for the make-up.’

Sicheng finds the whole thing of sitting on the chair and getting make-up applied very relaxing. He closes his eyes and patiently waits, listening to guys bicker in the background. His cheeks color slightly when he hears make-up artist fawn over his skin and his pretty eyes, which in turn makes him a main target for everyone to tease. He’s done after thirty or so minutes and when he looks in the mirror he can’t help but gasp - it’s not exactly like he’s looking at a different person, but his features look much accentuated than ever. Make-up artists giggles and tells him he looks sexy, Minho whistles and says that he can make any panties drop for him, but Sicheng only wants Yukhei’s breath to stutter when he looks at him. Wants to see pure admiration in alpha’s eyes, wants to see him lick his lips and pull Sicheng closer and whisper into his ear that he looks incredible. Taemin pats his butt and looks at him fondly, smiling and saying that someone is waiting for him outside. Sicheng is sure that it’s Taeyong, so he quickly skips to the door, ready to call out his friends’ name, when instead of his roommate he sees a way too familiar back clad in a navy jacket. Yukhei turns around at the sound of the door opening and closing and literally takes a step back, looking at Sicheng with slacked jaw. Beta shivers under this gaze, sees milliards of emotions pass through alpha’s eyes until something akin to wonder and lust settles. Yukhei’s apprehensive gaze makes Sicheng feel naked and powerful in an unfamiliar way - he feels like he has some upper hand against alpha now and this feelings burns him inside. Slowly Yukhei licks his bottom lip and steps closer and closer - Sicheng’s back meets the door and only then does Yukhei stop, face few inches away from his. Sicheng wants to say something, to at least greet his boyfriend but all words dry out when Yukhei leans in; his gaze sweeps Sicheng’s face again and again and then his hand settles on beta’s hair that’s full of gel. Stylist gave him a kinda wrecked look, hair artfully out of place and Yukhei chuckles, whispering:

‘I could have achieved this style if they gave me five minutes with you alone in a room.’

Sicheng gulps, implications clear in alpha’s words. He doesn’t want to imagine what they could done alone in a room, doesn’t dare to let a hope rise in his chest. ‘Hi,’ he blurts out, heart jumping out when Yukhei brushes his cheekbone with knuckles.

‘Hey, pretty,’ alpha greets in Mandarin, gentle whisper that contrasts with the way his eyes burn.

Sicheng’s eyes close on their own accord, when Yukhei leans and slowly pulls his upper lip into the kiss and then does the same with his bottom one. Yukhei’s kisses make Sicheng’s toes curl, he grips alpha’s wrist and sighs into the kiss, when he feels two strong hands cradle his head. He feels power thrumming in Yukhei, feels how he controls himself, how he restricts his desires and Sicheng wants so much, he _wants_ to just-

‘Guys? Hello!’ Two loud knocks on the door startle him and Sicheng jumps back. He was blocking the door this whole time and when both him and Yukhei step out, Taemin’s head appears. He first looks disgruntled but then takes one look at the couple and instead smiles smugly: ‘Well, sorry to interrupt, but we couldn’t go out. You kinda locked us here.’

‘Sorry,’ Sicheng replies sheepishly and gets pulled to the side by Yukhei.

Taemin stares at them for a second too long and then says: ‘We’ll start practicing in twenty. Don’t be late.’

Sicheng watches as all of the dance crew members walk towards their practice studio, feeling kinda weird since everyone can see the way Yukhei has an arm wrapped around him. And of course everyone stares and Sicheng tries to act not shy, but he ends up blushing like tomato anyway. Once everyone is gone Yukhei pushes him back into the room and locks the door after.

‘What-’ Sicheng gets cut off by a forceful kiss on the lips.

It’s not gentle this time - it’s all about Yukhei establishing his position, taking what he wants, devouring Sicheng and not letting him even take a breath. Beta gasps, feeling alpha’s hand on his hips and how they skim lower, lower - when they finally settle on his ass he almost whines, any sound swallowed by alpha’s mouth. Yukhei grips his asscheeks, kneads them in his hands, chuckles at Sicheng’s reaction on it and kisses him again. Beta turns his head to the side to take a breath and sighs, when alpha bites his earlobe, but doesn’t do anything like leave marks on his neck, mindful of a future performance.

‘The way you look,’ Yukhei whispers, pulling Sicheng closer. ‘It’s just-’

‘Good?’ Sicheng asks, breathless. He turns his head to see Yukhei’s facial expression and immediately regrets it; alpha looks like he’s very close to just locking them here and having his way with him and Sicheng’s is _terrified_ because if that was the case he wouldn’t have refused.

‘So good baby,’ Yukhei says in a low voice, looking straight into his boyfriend’s eyes. ‘Too good, even.’

Flowers bloom in Sicheng’s heart at this. He smiles, ducking his head shyly and receives a low chuckle and kiss on the temple from alpha. Yukhei’s hands leave his butt and instead settle on his hips, drawing circles there. They stay like this for some time until their heartbeats even out; Yukhei is the first to pull back, admiring beta’s face.

‘Taeyong told me I could catch you backstage if I come earlier, so here I am,’ he says and then wraps his arms around a boy, smiling. ‘You look fantastic. I can’t wait to see you on the stage.’

‘I hope you’ll like it,’ Sicheng mutters. ‘Hopefully I won’t mess up.’

‘You won’t.’ Yukhei says it with so much confidence that Sicheng almost believes in it too. ‘And I will love it, I know I will.’ Alpha’s eyes then fall downwards and he picks on Sicheng’s outfit. ‘This shirt though… You’re not about to pull some stunt like lift it up and show everyone your torso?’

Sicheng giggles a little, biting his lower lip. ‘You’ll see.’

Yukhei eyes darken momentarily and it takes beta’s breath away; but alpha quickly reigns himself and just pecks Sicheng’s lips. Beta clears his throat and decides to change the topic, quickly asking about his talk with Hendery about seats. Something changes in Yukhei’s posture at that but Sicheng can’t put his finger on what exactly; alpha just got more tense for a second and then relaxed.

‘Hendery told me that you two didn’t argue,’ Sicheng says, carefully watching Yukhei’s face. ‘You didn’t, right? It’s just a seat, in the end.’

‘ _Just_ a seat?’ Yukhei asks and he looks like he’s about to say something but then just shakes his head, sighing. ‘Sure baby, it’s just a seat. We didn’t argue, don’t worry.’ Sicheng, for some reason, doubts that but says nothing. Yukhei informs him that Taeyong will arrive in thirty minutes and that Jaehyun will be late a bit. ‘Stay at mine?’ He asks, kissing Sicheng’s forehead. ‘We’ll celebrate. Unless you have something with other members of your dance crew.’

Usually after every performance they go all together to eat out, but Sicheng doesn’t think that his presence will be very missed. He nods and Yukhei’s smile widens. They kiss one more before alpha ushers him back to the practice, not wanting to be a distraction anymore. Yukhei blows him one last kiss, wishes him good luck and goes away.

Yukhei moves towards the exit and smiles politely to bunch of girls, who stare up at him wide eyes. He surely does stand out amongst university students in his designer navy suit and his tall height also helps in attracting attention. Alpha hesitates a little but still goes towards his seat, silently fuming inside because of the whole thing. He never thought his talk with Hendery will go south; he thought it’d be easy, he’ll get the tickets and then at the festival he will try to win Sicheng’s friends over with his charisma and friendliness. But the tone with which that young boy spoke to him was out of the line, the way they almost had a fight over this is ridiculous and Yukhei usually is not petty at all, but he can’t help but feel slight resentment towards Hendery now. He still thinks about ‘ _we love him too_ ’ part that was thrown at him and something tells him that Hendery meant other thing. If Yukhei accidentally had better seats for Taeyong’s performance he would have switched with Jaehyun without saying, in a heartbeat. All other little signs that he had come at one and glare with red light at alpha and- Yukhei is not a jealous type of guy. He believes that relationships can only be build on love, trust and respect, so he finds jealousy very irrational. However, possessiveness is another thing. Yukhei is never been the one to share, always made it known for everyone where he stands with this or that person - that’s why nagging feeling or more, _need_ to establish himself as Sicheng’s boyfriend in front of his friends is chewing his mind off. It’s so childish, maybe it is passable for teenager or a student, but for someone who’s twenty-seven Yukhei is rather embarrassed for wanting to fight someone over a stupid seat. It’s Sicheng, though. Everything about him makes Yukhei experience new emotions, act differently. Even right now when he saw him with that make-up and mesh t-shirt through which Yukhei could clearly see naked skin… it’s just not fair. Because it’s not like Yukhei is usually not blinded by Sicheng’s appearance: Sicheng is one of the most handsome guys he’s ever seen in his life and he looks good whenever, really. He manages to look cute with puffy face after his nap, he looks amazing when he decides to dress up for their date, he looks handsome in his work attire in Starbucks, but in this mesh t-shirt and make-up he looks absolutely incredible. And Yukhei saw that flicker of doubt in beta’s face, clearly understood that Sicheng wasn’t overly sure if he looks nice or not and alpha couldn’t take it; he needed to let boy know that he looks fantastic, wanted to take him apart right there to show exactly _how_ fantastic he looks. Yukhei is not blind, he sees that lately Sicheng’s been much more responsive to any action of his and that gives alpha hope that maybe they can take it to another level very soon.

‘Lucas!’ He turns and sees Taeyong, bundled in - yeah, that’s Jaehyun’s scarf - and a thick coat, rushing towards him. ‘I saw you from the door, your suit really does stand out!’

Yukhei laughs and hugs Taeyong, teasingly pulling at the scarf, making it known that he’s fully aware who it belongs to and causing Taeyong to blush prettily. They get comfortable and alpha immediately gets bombarded with questions about Sicheng and then with recent news about omega - Taeyong fills up the time before start of the festival with his talking and it’s nice, Yukhei really likes the boy and likes how happy Jaehyun is with him. Time passes rather quickly when they also make a quick run for sandwiches and drinks, Yukhei cooing at Taeyong’s ‘ _wait, Jaehyun doesn’t like cucumbers, so let’s pick the one without them_ ’ and then running back to the seats right when everything’s about to start. The whole thing makes Yukhei very nostalgic - he’s not that old, but he did graduate a rather long time ago and never went to any kind of festivals after that. Energy from students, their shyness, a bit of awkwardness but otherwise thrill to perform and excitement over the whole thing sets a very welcoming and nice atmosphere to which Yukhei immediately falls to. First to perform are Xiaojun and Hendery and while alpha does bear some negative feelings, he can admit that both of them are very good: Xiaojun’s vocals are enchanting in the best way and Hendery’s rapping style is unique, his flow unpredictable. Their rendition of the song is beautiful and alpha claps along with everybody when they’re done, both smiling and looking so happy that it’s hard to stay mad at them for long. Taeyong gushes over how brilliant they were next to Yukhei and he nods, clapping along, but ultimately waiting for Sicheng’s performance. It doesn’t come soon; he sits through almost an entire hour until he hears an announcement about dance crew. Somewhere between the performances, Xiaojun and Hendery takes their seats in front of them and Yukhei follows Taeyong’s example, who greets them kindly, showering them with compliments. Alpha manages to sincerely say that they sounded great, but hostility in his eyes when talking to Hendery couldn’t be hidden; and not like other beta was also trying to be friendly, Hendery nodded tersely but Xiaojun just waved and smiled. Taeyong, noticing whole exchange with confused glance, thankfully, didn’t ask Yukhei anything. Later Jaehyun also arrives at the scene, cheeks all red from biting December wind and a pretty bouquet in his hands.

‘That’s not going to be weird, right?’ He questions quietly after kissing Taeyong on the forehead and sitting on his seat. ’A bouquet? It’s fine, right? I didn’t know what else to bring, coming empty handed felt wrong.’

‘He’ll love it,’ Yukhei replies and checks his phone - he also ordered a bouquet too but it should arrive a bit later. He then turns to Taeyong, rising his eyebrow: ‘And what you have in store?’

‘A secret!’ Omega shows him his tongue, giggling happily. Jaehyun looks fondly at his mate, wrapping one around his shoulders, pulling him closer. ‘But it’s better than a bouquet. And by the way, where is yours bouquet, hm, Lucas?’

‘On the way. And it’s bigger than Jaehyun’s.’ Yukhei replies, knocking his friend’s shoulder with his own.

Jaehyun rolls his eyes but doesn’t say anything else, opting to put all of his attention towards his mate. Yukhei chuckles and wants to ask about the recent deal, when lights suddenly dim and dance crew is announced. He immediately moves closer, elbows on his knees, all attention on the scene. Post Malone’s ‘Wow’ starts playing and seven boys come out, all dressed in a hip-hop style, all in white. Yukhei doesn’t see Sicheng within them but still enjoys the performance, grooving a bit to the song, clapping along with everyone when it ends way too quickly. Then music abruptly changes to something much slower and sensual and four figures step to the center. Yukhei’s eyes fall on Sicheng’s slim form immediately and he can’t seem to look away. Suddenly bass drops and Yukhei’s hair on arms stand out when lights dim a little more, fitting to the beat of the song and the dance finally starts. _ain’t this what you came for? don’t you wish you came more?_ Sicheng stands on the left corner and moves along with others in fluid motions. His facial expression is something Yukhei has never seen on him before - complete control, coldness in his gaze can bite but judging by shouts from girls it only serves him well. Yukhei is fascinated by the way his boyfriend moves, how his body seems not to know what bones are, how he makes every move looks so easy and flawless. He’s beautiful, shining under the dim lights and Yukhei can’t stop looking. _baby tonight’s the night I let you know, baby tonight’s the night we lose control._ Alpha’s throat dries out when, fitting to the lyrics, dance gets bolder. They change positions and now it’s Sicheng who’s in the middle, for everyone to see and gawk at and he lifts his t-shirt, showing off his fine - _so goddamn fine_ \- body, doing a full wave. _tonight I’ll be the best you ever had._ He repeats the motion several times, sexy and sensual, one hand holding up his t-shirt and other skimming from his neck to his belt, only adding fire to already heated move. Yukhei hears others gasping and he tries hard to hold himself still. The want to go and grab and touch and lick is overwhelming. Alpha feels his own heartbeat in his ears, eyes fixed on Sicheng, on his sinful body, on his facial expressions. So that’s what this boy had in store for him. Yukhei is more than just pleased. _nobody come close to me and you together_ , they swap places and Sicheng’s back at the right corner, t-shirt finally down, hiding his body from everyone’s gaze. Yukhei obviously realizes that there are other dancers, but he doesn’t see anyone but Sicheng, has a tunnel vision for his boyfriend, who apparently is a dance god. Even from up here he can tell that Sicheng’s enjoying this, that he likes dancing - he sometimes closes his eyes for too long, savoring the feeling, smiles in a way that’s obvious how proud he is to stand on the stage and Yukhei’s heart ready to burst from all of the feelings he has to this boy. _cause seven days a week you’re my five course meal_ \- they form a line and all suddenly go down, smoothly grinding on the floor and that’s - Yukhei chokes on his own spit, not reacting to Jaehyun’s hand clapping his back. It’s very sensual, that slow grind all of them show and when they change positions and start doing the same but towards the ceiling Yukhei feels tremors run down his spine. He’s not a teenager who gets a hard-on from merely watching porn for few minutes, but his body reacts in a shocking way to the picture of Sicheng working his hips and legs. Beta has his head thrown back, showing off his face and long column of his neck and he looks like he’s being fucked in the best way, in the way Yukhei _knows_ he can deliver - _tonight believe that I’ll be the best you ever had_. It’s over with the last thrust and lights dim fully before illuminating the stage. Roars of applause and shouts from girls and boys fill the auditorium and it takes Yukhei few seconds to come back to reality. He shakes his head and stands up to clap along with others only when Jaehyun pats his shoulder. Taeyong shouts loudly and jumps a little, Hendery and Xiaojun scream ‘Winwinnie!’ at the top of their lungs but Yukhei stays silent, just clapping and looking at the beaming boy on the stage. Sicheng’s chest falls up and down, he looks sweaty but ultimately happy, going for a group hug and letting others pull him into it. Yukhei feels so much - pride, happiness, awe, lust, want - he doesn’t know what stands out more. His phone beeps with a notification that his bouquet delivery waits for him outside and he goes away after telling Jaehyun about it. The bouquet he ordered is huge, heavy and very over the top. Yukhei knows Sicheng will die of embarrassment if he will be given this in front of his friends, but Yukhei wants to show off, wants to spoil his boy, wants … he just wants. _So much_. Grunting a little he manages to fit into the auditorium and of course attracts everyone’s attention again, this time because of a bouquet. It’s so huge that alpha barely sees where he’s going and bumps on his way to the seat to few people, but then chooses to stand next to the wall; because of him people from seats behind already can’t see clearly and bouquet will only make it worse for them. He sighs, is about to drop the bouquet on the carpet when Taeyong comes up to him with Jaehyun, helping him gently put whole thing down.

‘It’s so obnoxiously huge, but oh my god, so cute! Sichengie deserves it!’ Taeyong sputters and then hugs Yukhei tightly. ‘You’re the best!’

Yukhei first is bewildered but then at laughs at Jaehyun’s look on the face and gently pries Taeyong off him. ‘Your boyfriend is about to eat me up, don’t say stuff like that,’ he jokes and receives a dead glare from Jaehyun who looks a bit grumpy.

‘First I hear about Sicheng being the best during whole performance and now it’s Yukhei,’ Jaehyun says, faking annoyance. ‘Nice, what can I say. Feels great to be left behind by my own boyfriend.’

Taeyong rolls his eyes but hugs Jaehyun anyway, pressing his lips twice at his jaw until his alpha doesn’t break into a smile. ‘But Sichengie is the best! Didn’t you see? That was awesome!’

‘It was,’ Jaehyun agrees and then turns at his friend with a mirth twinkling in his eyes. ‘I’m sure Yukhei enjoyed it a lot. Especially the last bit, right?’

Yukhei controls his face to not let show what exactly he thinks of the performance in front of Taeyong. ‘It was great.’ Jaehyun cocks one eyebrow in a way that says he can clearly see through Yukhei’s facade, but alpha decides to ignore it and turns to Taeyong instead: ‘When all of them will come out?’

‘After winner announcement, I think. It’s fifteen minutes break now for judges to decide.’

Jaehyun goes to bring them coffee and Yukhei is left with overly excited Taeyong and it’s - cute. Alpha really likes this bond between Taeyong and Sicheng, loves how supportive omega is, how he obviously cares and loves Sicheng a lot. It warms Yukhei’s heart and he listens to Taeyong with a smile on his face, agreeing to every single compliment towards Sicheng. Even after the break Yukhei decides to not sit, opting to stand and come closer to the stage, so he’d be the first to reach his boyfriend with a present. Announcement starts shortly and it gets impossibly loud inside - everyone whistles, claps, screams and shouts and Yukhei’s skin buzzes with energy of the place. Hendery and Xiaojun take second place in vocal category and they kiss right on the stage, much to Yukhei’s surprise. They look happy and step to the side a little, holding hands. Alpha stares at them in shock, because Sicheng never mentioned them dating and if that’s the case then why the hell did they not give seats?! He has no time to think it over, because next are dance nominations and Sicheng is up on the stage along with other members and of course he stands behind everyone, not wanting any attention on himself. His height helps Yukhei to still see him though and he smiles when Sicheng cranes his neck, looking towards the seats. Taeyong is standing in the next second, not caring about everyone’s ‘ _sit down, we can’t see!_ ’ and waves excitedly - Sicheng sees him and his face transforms, corners of his lips widen right to his ears and he smiles so openly that Yukhei freezes momentarily. Beta’s eyes then glaze over, he’s obviously searching for someone else and it tugs at alpha’s heartstrings, he doesn’t want Sicheng to be disappointed, to even for a second think that he went away, so he shouts his name loudly. His boyfriend immediately glances over and his eyes widen at the sight of alpha; he smiles, pretty blush adorns his cheeks and Yukhei has to stop himself from climbing that stage and kissing him in front of everyone. They break eye-contact only when their teams gets announced as a winner of the second place and he gets pulled over by his members. Yukhei claps and whistles few times, pride filling his lungs to the brim - it’s an amazing, indescribable feeling. He felt it before, for example when he stood next to Jaehyun, when he was announced as the youngest National Sales manager in the company, but with Sicheng it’s different. It’s not just pride and happiness, it’s also overwhelming tenderness and affection. Sicheng looks happy, smiles at his members and when award comes to his hands he just stares at it in awe. Yukhei can’t wait anymore - winner of the first place is giving a speech, but he makes a way towards the stage and stops only when he stands right at the bottom from the left side. He calls Sicheng by name again and his boyfriend looks taken aback when he notices a large bouquet.

‘It- what…’ He mumbles and gets swamped by his members cheering. He goes down for Yukhei and looks shocked, gaze going from alpha to the bouquet and back at alpha. ‘Yukhei…’

‘Congratulations, pretty,’ Yukhei says, smiling and pulling Sicheng closer by hand. ‘This is for you.’

He carefully hands bouquet to Sicheng, who has a hard time responding being too shocked by the sheer size of what he’s holding. His members all whisper behind his back, he can hear theirs ‘oooh’ and ‘awww look at Winwin!’ and it makes tips of his ears burn, but no more as Yukhei’s intense gaze on him. He tries to form words but they fail him and he settles for putting bouquet back on the carpet and stepping closer to his boyfriend.

‘You were great up there, baby boy,’ Yukhei tells him, looking right in his eyes.

‘You liked it?’ Sicheng asks, blushing. He can hear sincerity in alpha’s voice but still needs verbal approval too.

‘I loved it.’ Yukhei steps closer and Sicheng has to look up a little to maintain eye contact. ‘You took my breath away.’

Sicheng open his mouth to say something but then someone jumps on his back and he almost topples forward, Yukhei supports him by gripping his shoulders. When he turns it’s Xiaojun, grinning at him widely and planting a loud smooch right on his lips. Sicheng laughs both from surprise and happiness, hugging his omega friend back. He feels lips on his cheek, smiles and also congratulates his friends.

‘You killed it out there!’ Hendery exclaims, ruffling his hair. ‘Everyone went nuts when all of you started grinding!’

‘Dry humping the floor, you should have warned us, Winwin!’ Xiaojun lightly slaps his shoulder and then steps back when throat is being cleared from behind. ‘Oh, hello.’

‘Hi again,’ Lucas says and wraps his arms around Sicheng’s middle, putting his chin on beta’s shoulder. ‘Congratulations, you were really good.’

‘Thank you,’ Hendery says and Xiaojun nods, smile wavering a bit as he looks at Yukhei’s arms on Sicheng.

Before any of them can say something else, Taeyong jumps right in the middle, pries Sicheng off Yukhei and hugs him so tight that beta can’t even take a breath. He congratulates him, looks like a proud mom while doing so and almost cries; everyone coos when Taeyong pinches Sicheng’s cheeks with watery eyes. Jaehyun steps in next, offers his congratulations in a much calmer fashion and giving him his bouquet, while Taeyong fusses over Hendery and Xiaojun.

‘I thought I’m gonna lose my hand from the way your friend was gripping it tightly when you’re performing,’ Jaehyun says to Sicheng, who smiles at this. ‘Congrats again, you killed it.’

‘Thank you,’ Sicheng whispers, basking in everyone’s praises. He leans on Yukhei, alpha ready to hide him before everything will start becoming too much for him. ‘Thank you very much.’

‘I, unfortunately, need to go,’ Jaehyun says, looking guilty. ‘I have a meeting with a client, sorry that I can’t stay. Again, Sicheng, you were amazing. Hope you liked the bouquet.’

‘It’s very nice, thank you!’ Sicheng smiles and waves. ‘It’s alright, you can go. Thank you for coming.’

‘I’m going with him, it’s about my possible future job,’ Taeyong says and hugs his friend tightly again. ‘I love you. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah? I’m staying at Jae’s tonight. I have a present for you!’

Yukhei watches everyone hug and part ways until only him and Sicheng’s two friends stay. Xiaojun reaches towards beta and ruffles his hair, smiling adoringly at him. Something in his gaze makes Yukhei uneasy; he can’t say exactly what, but friends don’t look like that at each other. Besides, before this boy came over and literally kissed Sicheng in the lips, which is… well.

‘Everyone from the vocal department are celebrating tonight, we need to go,’ Xiaojun says, pouting a little. ‘We wish we could be with you, though. You can still come with us if you want!’

‘I think Winwinnie is going to celebrate with his dance team,’ Hendery says. ‘Right? Where are you going?’

‘Actually..’ Sicheng starts, but Yukhei interrupts him: ‘He’s coming with me. We’ll celebrate it together.’

His friends look shocked and Hendery narrows his eyes at alpha before quickly getting his expression under control. Xiaojun looks unsure, but then nods, lightly tugging at sleeve of Hendery’s shirt.

‘Okay.. But we’ll meet up these days anyway, right?’

Sicheng nods, they hug once more and his friends leave. Yukhei feels mood shift in his boyfriend and lightly kisses his head. ‘Ready to go home?’

Sicheng turns in his arms, staring at Yukhei with unreadable expression. ‘You don’t like them. Why?’

Alpha bites his lower lip - there’s no point in lying. And he never lies in general, so he settles for avoiding the truth for now: ‘You won tonight. Let’s not spoil this night, okay?’

Sicheng at first looks like he’s going to argue, but then relaxes, shaking his head. He agrees and goes to change, while Yukhei walks to his car, carrying two bouquets in his hands. Alpha’s body sings with anticipation, he barely stills himself not to fidget, waiting for his boyfriend in a car. Sicheng doesn’t take long, two members of the team walk him to the car and wave at Yukhei, who waves back with a smile.

‘That’s Kai and Sehun, they are honestly the best dancers,’ Sicheng says once he’s in.

‘You are no worse than them,’ Yukhei says, smiling at Sicheng’s blush. ‘To my home?’

Beta eagerly nods and Yukhei’s heart swells - knowing that Sicheng loves his home as much as he does and always wants to go there makes him unbelievably happy. Sicheng talks about practices and everything what happened backstage during the drive, still excited after performance. He’s smiling, radiates good energy and this is Yukhei’s favorite sight, seeing Sicheng this happy is everything. When they reach his house they leave bouquets in the car and Sicheng bounces on the steps, after hearing Yukhei talk about big chocolate cake waiting for him in the kitchen.

‘Is it like chocolate mousse?’ Beta questions once they’re inside and runs to the kitchen, making alpha smile.

‘Your favorite!’ Yukhei replies, taking his jacket off and throwing it somewhere in the living room.

When he enters the kitchen he sees Sicheng already pulling cake out of the freezer, licking his lips. He wiggles a bit with his butt - happy dance before his favorite treat - and looks for forks while Yukhei comes up behind him.

‘Thank you, I love it!’ He says and then freezes, when alpha’s hands go under his shirt, caressing his skin now. ‘Yukhei..’

‘Yes?’ Yukhei breathes Sicheng in, mapping his torso with his hands and stopping when he reaches his nipples. ‘What is it, baby?’

He carefully tugs at the nipples, hears beta’s breath hitch and does it again. Yukhei nuzzles with his nose to Sicheng’s neck, breathing his scent in deeply. Yukhei can’t keep his hands to himself, it’s an impossible feat right now. Sicheng lets fork fall on the table and instead grips Yukhei’s wrist, leaning fully on alpha.

‘I didn’t mean _this_ by celebration, but-’ Yukhei nibbles on his earlobe, ‘but if you’re okay with this, I’d really like to take it to the bedroom.’

Sicheng shivers, licking his lips. High on adrenaline after performance he feels like this is the best time to give in, to finally get what he wanted for so long. He turns his head a little and licks at Yukhei’s lips, loving how alpha’s grip immediately tightens. All he wanted last weeks is to finally see see Yukhei snap out of his control and he can’t wait for it to happen now.

‘Yes,’ he whispers right into his mouth.

‘Yes?’ Yukhei asks again, hands sneaking to Sicheng’s belt. ‘Sure?’ Sicheng nods and alpha loudly exhales. ‘You’re not gonna regret it, baby boy.’

Sicheng wants to say that he knows he won’t, but Yukhei silences him with a kiss. It holds a promise of upcoming pleasure and beta’s body thrums with it. Yukhei pulls away from him and takes his hand, leading to the bedroom. Sicheng gulps but follows.

_i don’t wanna brag, but I’ll be_

_the best you ever had_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM BACK FROM VACATION HELLOOOOOO
> 
> i hope you guys missed this story and are excited for this chapter and what's coming! (and we all know what's coming. yes. pure smut. and it's sicheng's supposedly first time aND im going to die. that's it.)
> 
> how have you been, babes? how's autumn treating all of you? i hope all is well💜 
> 
> did y'all hear? wayv show?? winformation?? new episode of etc?? i came back and im just over the moon with updates and upcoming show!! also on winformation sicheng said that yukhei calls him 'winwin' and he calls him 'xuxi' and UGH im too lazy to change everything in this fic but i'll make sure to make everything right in the next one!
> 
> as always sending you my tightest hugs, if you read till here - thank you for not forgetting about this story! thank you for commenting, leaving kudos! 💜 love you!!


	22. closer (just the way i wanted)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's here. luwin smut. i died fifty times while writing this, enjoy.

Rush. Sicheng gulps, when Yukhei makes him sit at the edge of the bed. Alpha stands in front of him and slowly discards his tie, shirt. Stops at the belt for a second but then also throws it somewhere. Sicheng can’t look away, eyes trained on long tanned fingers, on a beautiful and truly captivating expanse of Yukhei’s upper body: his very well defined abs and chest muscles, how they protrude when Yukhei rises his arms, how solid his body looks. Sicheng is hyper aware, suddenly, of how slim he is in comparison to his boyfriend, how his limbs are way too long and skinny. Insecurity rises in his chest and pushes on his lungs, makes it hard to breathe. Yukhei notices the slightest change in his face and leans in, putting his hands on Sicheng’s thighs. This makes beta jump a little, swallow thickly when these hands travel up and down unhurriedly. Yukhei looks at the boy in front of him and likes how Sicheng is breathing heavily _just_ from this, from kisses and a little bit of touching. Likes the way he’s looking at him, hopes Sicheng realizes that Yukhei looks back at him with the same awestruck expression. He wants to do so much, so many thoughts invade his mind but Yukhei forcefully makes himself focus and start slow, not wanting to scare boy in front of him. Sicheng’s eyes on the same level as his navel but they fall immediately when Yukhei pops first button of his pants. Painfully slowly he tugs zipper down and beta swears he stops breathing, seeing black fabric of tight cotton briefs. Yukhei doesn’t pull his pants down, just unzips them and then his hands fall on sides and it takes Sicheng a full minute to understand what is wanted from him. He licks his lips, realizes how dry and cracked they are and with shaky hands reaches towards Yukhei’s pants. He looks up and when alpha nods, carefully pulls them down until they pool at his ankles and Yukhei steps out of them, pushing pants away.

‘Get higher,’ Yukhei says and it’s not a command, doesn’t sound like one, but Sicheng feels tremors run down his body as he scrambles to sit higher on the bed. He stops when his back hits the bed frame and gulps loudly, seeing Yukhei crawl at him. ‘Relax, baby.’

It’s hard to do so. Sicheng is nervous, anxiety skyrocketing at the gorgeous sight of alpha. Rational part of his brain is off and he can’t even control all of the worry that floods his system. What if Yukhei won’t like how he looks? What if he disappoints? What if he won’t be able to bring pleasure? Sicheng is close to shaking but then alpha covers his body with his own and kisses him. Kissing Yukhei is magical, every single damn time. It’s always soft and rough, alpha applies just right amount of pressure to make beta want to submit, open up and leave himself bare. Sicheng kisses back, fumbles with his hands until they find stability in Yukhei’s wide shoulders, gripping them tight. Yukhei deepens the kiss and Sicheng lets him, welcomes it, wants to give control into his hands. He moves his head to the side and sighs when alpha’s lips attach to his neck, leave small bites here and there, not hard enough to mark the skin. Sicheng feels tension fill his muscles as Yukhei’s hands start to untuck his belt and he gasps too loud in an otherwise quiet room when Yukhei licks at his collarbones. Alpha pats his thigh two times and Sicheng lifts his hips, helps him get rid of the belt and pull jeans down. Yukhei moves to completely free him off clothes and Sicheng almost wants to cover up, embarrassed of spotting a semi just from their kisses, but then he sees Yukhei’s bulge and all thoughts fly away from his head. It becomes empty, only image of Yukhei’s arousal in it and Sicheng can’t look away even when alpha notices his gaze. He finds it unbelievable that Yukhei is affected just as much as he is, that someone who looks like Yukhei wants someone who looks like Sicheng. It doesn’t match in his head but despite all of the thoughts his legs widen on their own accord, when Yukhei puts a knee between them. His t-shirt goes next and Sicheng is just as naked as alpha and grows red under his gaze. Yukhei looks at him intensely, eyes raking over all of his body and before Sicheng can do something stupid like push his legs together and search for a blanket, alpha leans down and brings their foreheads together, whispering:

‘You’re too fucking beautiful to be true.’

Sicheng swallows, rendered speechless by this and just blinks at alpha in confusion, not sure if he heard him right. ‘I…’ he starts and swallows again before continuing: ‘I’m- Don’t lie.’

Yukhei huffs and fully lays on him, brushing their arousals together. Sicheng whimpers at this, clutching at alpha’s shoulders out of surprise. ‘Still think that I’m lying?’ Yukhei asks and deliberately rolls his hips a little, putting more pressure and Sicheng throws his head back, breath coming out in warm puffs of air. ‘I wanted you like this- under me, for so long, Sicheng. I can’t believe it’s finally happening.’

Sicheng can’t take it. He doesn’t have enough or any emotional resources to fully process this so instead he slots their mouths together. Yukhei immediately kisses him back, dominates the kiss, intoxicates Sicheng just like that, leaves him breathless and wanton. When Yukhei leans back Sicheng has this dazed look on his face and alpha can’t help but grin at it - _oh, so much more is coming baby, so much more_. Yukhei plans to make this first time memorable, make Sicheng forget about anyone else he had before; he’s going to worship this boy, spoil him with attention and affection, wreck him in the gentlest way. Yukhei starts kissing every inch of his skin, scared to leave any place behind like his life depends on it. He wants to learn everything: what makes Sicheng shudder, moan, gasp. Which places are most sensitive, how he likes to be touched and marked, by doing what his hips roll upwards and groans fall from his lips. Sicheng’s body is a map and Yukhei explores it fully, paying attention to every inch, wanting to savor their first time for good. Sicheng squirms under him, his nails dig into Yukhei’s shoulders but alpha memorizes his reactions: he now knows that his nipples are not that sensitive but pulling at them makes beta gasp loudly, for example. He learns that Sicheng likes when he lightly scratches his teeth alongside his ribs, that his hips buck up when he licks at his skin and then blows on it. Sicheng’s hand move from his shoulders to his hair and he tugs at it, when Yukhei sucks a hickey on his navel, mesmerized by the way his skin immediately turns red. His abs contract when he starts kissing them and he trembles when Yukhei’s hands grip his sides, massaging them a bit. By the time Yukhei reaches the waistband of his underwear, Sicheng is a trembling mess, taking shaky breaths. He looks at alpha with glassy eyes, lips swollen and bruised - not cracked yet, but Yukhei will get there - from the kisses, chest coming up and down. Yukhei almost wants to coo at this sight but then his eyes drop to beta’s bulge and he sees wet patch of a precome on it and it further stirs heat coiling in his belly. Alpha pulls and snaps elastic band, watches Sicheng groan and buck hips up in the air. He rises his eyebrow in a silent question and Sicheng nods, licking his bottom lip. He looks nervous, Yukhei can tell, but alpha hopes all of the nerves will disappear when he gets to the main part. Sicheng lifts his butt and Yukhei frees him from underwear, his cock springing from the confines, tip glaringly red. Yukhei doubts if he should tease a little but then decides against it - release will relax Sicheng so he grabs his cock without hesitation, smirking at the broken sob he gets in return from the boy. Yukhei swipes his thumb over the tip and his eyes never leave Sicheng’s face, hypnotized. Sicheng sobs in relief, finally getting friction he wanted and Yukhei lets him thrust shallowly in his fist and he looks at him like Sicheng is a living and breathing definition of desire and - and it’s too much. Beta breathes harshly, tries to swallow but can’t with the way Yukhei drags a blunt nail down his shaft few times. He feels everything so vividly, all of the tension leaving his body to gather somewhere low in his stomach; he pants, knows he’s going to finish very soon if Yukhei won’t stop, he’s being wired up since the performance and needs to release it, tries to tell alpha that, but his tongue refuses to work.

‘It’s alright,’ Yukhei’s voice somehow gets into his head through all of the fog penetrating it. ‘You can let go, baby.’

Sicheng feels tremors running up and down his spine and when Yukhei’s other hand starts kneading his thigh, he tenses, groaning. He’s almost there, needs a little push to bring him over the edge - Yukhei lightly slaps his thigh too close to his dick and Sicheng’s cuming, white spurts all over Yukhei’s hand and some land on his chest. His back arches off the bed, almost painful groan escapes his lips and he falls back, breathing heavily. Sicheng blinks few times, limbs turned into jelly and tries to reach for Yukhei - his hand immediately gets tangled with other’s fingers and beta smiles at little kisses on his knuckles that he receives. It’s reassurance, it’s _i’m here, i got you_ said quietly and Sicheng very much needs that. Yukhei lets go of his softened dick and moves to get rid off his boxers too, while Sicheng tries to take a breather. Alpha forcefully wills himself down, can finish just from seeing Sicheng all sprawled on his bed with a fucked out expression, but he doesn’t want it like that. He wants so much more but it’s not time yet.

‘Turn over for me,’ he asks and Sicheng complies lazily, burying his face in the pillow.

Yukhei starts doing the same with his back - showers it with kisses and nips. His hands slide down beta’s sides and stop at his asscheeks, taking each in a hand and massaging them, Sicheng’s satisfied groans serve as a music to his ears. Yukhei notices all of the little moles on his boyfriend’s back, thinks of them as of constellations, kisses every single one and wishes on them as on a star - _let this boy stay with me, please_. Yukhei is prepared, of course; he climbs on top of Sicheng to reach his bedside table for the lube. His dick grazes beta’s skin and Yukhei hisses at the contact; he didn’t touch himself yet, is afraid to do so of the thought that just one touch will make him go off. He also grabs second pillow and gently positions it under Sicheng’s hips, hearing a sharp intake of a breath. Sicheng’s body is relaxed after orgasm, but he definitely slowly gets tenser, understanding Yukhei’s actions. Yukhei opens lube and leans in, pressing soft kisses on each asscheek, liking their firmness. Sicheng moves a bit underneath him and Yukhei stills him with one hand on his back.

‘I’m-’ Sicheng starts but forgets what he wanted to say next, when Yukhei makes him push his hips up.

‘Gonna make you feel good,’ alpha replies and moves his hand from beta’s back to his ass. ‘I told you won’t regret it, baby. Trust me.’

Sicheng swallows. He knows that he can and should trust Yukhei, but this is something new, something yet undiscovered and even the position in which he’s in makes him red all over. He’s fully open for Yukhei’s eyes and it’s embarrassing, leaves him way too vulnerable and he almost hides, when he feels it. Cold liquid being smeared around his entrance and then soft kisses of Yukhei’s lips. Sicheng squirms, not sure whether he likes it or not. He closes his eyes and gets on his elbows, securing position this way. Yukhei hums at this and then starts palming at his soft cock, making beta gasp. Sicheng groans, loving how rough Yukhei’s fingers feel, how they pull at his delicate skin, how he fondles with his balls. He slowly gets lost in the feeling and almost shouts in surprise when something wet presses against his rim. It takes him two seconds to realize that it’s Yukhei’s tongue and he burns with embarrassment right then, tries to move away from this, but Yukhei grips his hips and makes him stay where he is.

‘Don’t,’ Sicheng whispers, gripping sheets in his hands. ‘Yukhei-’

‘I want to,’ alpha whispers into his skin and licks again, smiling when Sicheng shivers. ‘I want to do this and I want _you_ so much, Sicheng, let me. Please.’

It’s the tremble in Yukhei’s voice that gets him. Sicheng turns his head to look at alpha and what he sees cuts all air in his lungs. The way Yukhei looks at him is electrifying, no one ever looked at Sicheng with such an open lust and beta gives in, his ego growing until it pushes his anxiety to the side. Sicheng nods and turns away again after seeing Yukhei’s answering smile. All of the sensations are different but not unpleasant - when Yukhei’s tongue gentle prods his entrance he tenses, but forcefully makes himself relax, taking deep breaths and then sighing once he manages to loosen his muscles. It’s weird but in a pleasant way - alpha’s kitten licks around the rim send tingles down his body and soon he’s gripping sheets not out of embarrassment but because it feels _so good_. Yukhei smiles triumphantly when Sicheng starts pushing his ass to him instead of shying away; he grows bolder, moves his tongue deeper, bathes in beta’s wonderful sounds. Pretty soon Yukhei lubes his finger and slowly inserts it, first only till the knuckle and then slowly fully in, gauging Sicheng’s reaction. Being too invested in Sicheng, Yukhei forgot about his own arousal, but he gets reminded of it again when Sicheng starts moaning. For the first time this night his moans fill the room and bounce off the walls right into Yukhei’s heart. It’s a wonderfully pornographic sound that alpha wants to hear more, wants to be the cause of it. He keeps on stroking Sicheng to complete hardness and inserts another finger, scissoring them, letting Sicheng get used to this feeling. He plants open-mouthed kisses on his back for distraction and watches with fascination as beta’s fingers curl into sheets, moans muffled by the pillow. Yukhei stop and reaches for the pillow, throwing it away.

‘Want to hear you,’ he says and Sicheng moans at this, again goes up on his elbows, pushing to Yukhei’s fingers. ‘Feels good, baby?’ Sicheng nods and Yukhei smiles, kissing his back again. ‘You’re doing so well, baby boy.’

Sicheng tightens at these words and his moan breaks as his head falls, body trembling. Yukhei freezes for a second and then starts pumping his cock faster, dripping himself on beta, continuing scissoring two fingers inside him. Can it be that Sicheng has…?

‘So good for me,’ Yukhei says and Sicheng grunts, back tensing. Yukhei, feeling tight heat against his fingers also moans, dropping his head on Sicheng’s back. ‘God I can’t imagine how good you’ll feel on my cock.’

Sicheng inhales sharply at this and then whines, when Yukhei accidentally grips his dick too hard. After some time that feels like forever for him - what is even time, he can swear he’s spent all night in this bedroom - he feels third finger probing at his entrance. Sicheng tenses, stretch becoming painful but tries to relax. Yukhei whispers how good he is, how amazing he’s doing and it stirs him on, making him want to show how much better he can be, that _yes he’s good, he can be so good for Yukhei, be the best boy for him_ -

‘Oh my god,’ he groans, when third finger fits snuggly in. ‘ _Oh_ \- oh my god.’

‘Shhh, good, so good baby,’ Yukhei says and lets go of Sicheng’s cock to grab his ass instead.

Yukhei’s three fingers, now fully in, easily reach his prostate and when they press on this bundle of nerves Sicheng’s back arches up so hard, his spine cracks. As Yukhei continues to push against it whines and gasps fall from Sicheng’s lips. Yukhei works him open methodically, relentlessly and soon Sicheng is keening, sounds that he makes would have had him ashamed if he was in the coherent mind. Yukhei barely holds on, his own dick hurts from tension but Sicheng is still not ready for him, not yet. Beta’s arms start to tremble and he tries to keep himself up, getting on all fours. Sicheng’s vision blurs when it starts getting too much, when pleasure strikes low in his spine. He thinks he can cum just like that, without any helping hand, just from Yukhei pressing and pressing-

‘Wait,’ Sicheng lets out but it’s too quiet, Yukhei didn’t hear him, so he repeats again, louder this time: ‘Yukhei, wait-,’ alpha immediately stops and Sicheng has a second to at least swallow, his throat a dry desert now. ‘I’m gonna- I want- with _you_.’

He knows he sounds incoherent and it’s hard to understand what he’s talking about, but Yukhei gets him, of course he does. There is a second when no one moves but then his boyfriend leans fully, taking his fingers out. He presses chest to back and Sicheng whimpers when he feels thick cock nestled in between his cheeks.

‘You’re not ready yet,’ Yukhei whispers into his ear and it’s hot, it’s the heat from alpha’s body and from his words and Sicheng understands why he’s not ready, when he can feel Yukhei’s dick and- he’s going to black out from this. It’s too much all at once. ‘One more finger, baby. I don’t want to hurt you.’

Sicheng wants to be a brat for a moment, wants to wiggle his butt and beg, knows that Yukhei will fall for it, knows it on some intuition level that he has a power over this alpha. But he feels tremor in Yukhei’s body, understands how hard it is for him to hold back and just nods. Yukhei kisses his temple and Sicheng can’t help it, can’t stop himself from grinding on alpha’s length, receiving pained hiss as an answer.

‘Sicheng,’ Yukhei calls warningly. Sicheng’s mind tells him to stop, but his body moves on its own, continuing slow grind. God if fingers feel that good then how it would be when alpha finally pushes in? Yukhei suddenly pulls him down, down, _down_ \- his head shoved hard into the sheets, alpha’s weight making it hard to move. ‘Are you testing me now?’

Sicheng screams silently, when he feels three fingers back inside him, intrusion sudden and out of nowhere. Yukhei curls them just right and beta trembles, moans brokenly; his cock throbs painfully, chest tightening at the familiar feeling of orgasm building inside him.

‘One day-,’ Yukhei says and it’s incredible how he doesn’t pant and sounds absolutely okay, only hoarseness in his voice gives away how affected he is, ‘- one day I’m going to fuck you hard and rough, almost raw, your ass up in the air, head in the mattress and you will just _take it_.’ His fingers leave and Sicheng’s hole clenches over nothing. He feels like he’s going crazy being pushed on the edge and then away from it. His head spins and breath stutters when Yukhei starts moving between his cheeks too, slide wet both from the lube and precome. ‘But not today,’ Yukhei says and pulls back, Sicheng immediately misses warmth of his body, ‘because today it’s all about you, baby boy.’

‘Together,’ Sicheng stubbornly says, trying to gather his thoughts and form a normal sentence. ‘Want to cum with you in me. Yukhei-’

Alpha _growls_ at that, sound so low and guttural that Sicheng instinctively curls his body, preparing for attack. Yukhei doesn’t know how he managed to hold back when Sicheng says things like that; he ignores pleas from his boyfriend and instead pushes forth finger in, moving them in and out and is not surprised when Sicheng lets out a high moan - Yukhei grabs him by the waist just in time when he’s about to topple over, straining dark sheets with his cum. His body shakes violently and Yukhei quickly turns him around, hoping Sicheng won’t mind lying on his own semen. Sicheng whines when Yukhei fists his cock, making sure he spurt everything out and then brings fingers back inside, shallowly thrusting. Everything in Sicheng’s mind is hazy in its post-orgasmic state but when fingers are being pulled out and he can feel Yukhei lining himself up, he’s wide awake, fisting bedsheets. Yukhei hooks one his leg on his shoulder and at the first push Sicheng wails - Yukhei didn’t even bottom out but he already stretches him so good, at the right side of painful. Alpha groans above him, eyes squeezed shut as he moves in, inch by inch. Sicheng’s walls embrace him so tight, the heat makes Yukhei’s eyes roll to the back of his head. He tries to stop himself from blowing his load off by thinking of other things, irrelevant things but his mind is empty apart from Sicheng, looking blissfully fucked out when Yukhei didn’t even move in him yet. And Yukhei can’t help but think that this is the image that he always wants to see, primal part of him wants to keep Sicheng here always, on his bed, underneath him, so pliant and it’s all for him, all for Yukhei. His body shines with sweat and beta arches off the bed, when alpha finally sits fully, balls touching his ass.

‘Fucking hell,’ Yukhei lets out and knows that he should wait, let his boyfriend get accustomed but he can’t help but thrust, loving the way Sicheng shouts loudly at this. ‘ _God_ , Sicheng, baby, so good.’

Sicheng is too lost to say anything. Yukhei starts thrusting, gently, his arms shake with restraint, obviously holding back, but even that is too much for him. Because of overstimulation he feels tears in the corner of his eyes, can’t seem to keep his mouth shut, lets out moans and sobs at every thrust. He feels full, so full and when Yukhei leans in cause he wants to kiss him, angle changes and Sicheng can’t hold it anymore, he cries out, clutching at Yukhei’s biceps with every ounce of strength that he has left in him. Alpha’s hungry eyes never leave him and the way his expression changes when he sees Sicheng’s tears is indescribable - beta feels that shift, how his thrusts turn punctuated, directed right at his prostate, full of strength, making Sicheng scream louder. Only Yukhei’s name falls from his lips, again and again, like a mantra and he shuts up only when alpha slots their mouths together, wanting to be connected in every single way. It’s intense, the thrusts and stretch and overstimulation - Sicheng clenches and hears Yukhei curse. All alpha’s muscles tense up as he tries his hardest not to blindly fuck into a pliant body underneath him - Yukhei still doesn’t set a fast pace, just thrusts into Sicheng with a practiced ease and precision, makes beta see stars. Sicheng can’t take it anymore, he clumps at alpha, clenches his muscles without meaning to and whines when Yukhei reaches for his half-hard cock, tugging at it. It brings more pain than pleasure but apparently that’s something Sicheng’s into, cause he only whimpers louder and shouts when Yukhei thrusts one last time before pulling out and finishing all over Sicheng’s legs. Beta is in frenzied mess, he tosses, hand falling on his dick to pump it to the image of Yukhei’s pleasure striken face. He won’t forget it, Sicheng knows that this image will haunt him forever, he will never be able to not think about Yukhei’s face when he’s cuming. It doesn’t take him long to follow alpha’s lead - his dry orgasm shakes him to the core and he groans into Yukhei’s mouth when his boyfriend leans for a kiss. It’s unhurried, ever so gentle that Sicheng’s heart breaks. Yukhei leans back and kisses his forehead, eyebrows, eyelids. Cutely boops his nose and goes back to kissing his lips. They are bruised and it hurts a bit, but Sicheng can’t say not to kisses from alpha, he kisses back as much as he can, although all strength has left him.

‘Shower or bath?’ Yukhei questions, caressing his sides.

Sicheng doesn’t want to think about having to get up but then he feels drying off semen on his thighs, back and just groans, making alpha smile. ‘Shower.’

Sicheng thinks Yukhei will first go and adjust water temperature, but alpha carefully picks him up bridal style much to Sicheng’s embarrassment. Beta can only swat at his biceps, too tired to do anything else, but he secretly loves how strong Yukhei is, how picking Sicheng up is an easy task for him. Beta tries to stay awake through the shower, just leans on the stall and lets Yukhei do all the cleaning work - alpha is through with it just like he is with everything else - not an inch of Sicheng’s skin gets untouched by loofa, Yukhei cleans him up with gentle moves, dropping kisses here and there. They don’t wash hair and quickly pat themselves half dry with a towel before going back to bed. Yukhei moves to change sheets, but Sicheng whines, just wanting to finally lie down and alpha simply pulls one blanket on top and grabs another one from the closet to cover them up. Sicheng yawns and doesn’t think about his nakedness anymore, going into Yukhei’s arms and falling asleep almost as soon as his head touches the pillow. Yukhei stays awake for some time though. He watches Sicheng, traces his face with his eyes, caresses his torso with his hand. He’s also tired, but it’s a pleasant tiredness that settles deep in his bones, makes him feel sated. His lips find Sicheng’s shoulder and he presses open mouthed kisses to it, still not believing what has happened. And to think that this boy some time ago said that they will break up anyway, that betas and alphas are not made to be with each other… Yukhei’s heart is incredibly calm with Sicheng. And this calmness, this confidence - it can only mean one thing. Yukhei hopes he didn’t push it too much, hopes Sicheng tomorrow won’t hate him or regret what they did; alpha doesn’t let these thoughts bother him too much, he grips boy tighter in his arms and falls asleep.

+=+

Sicheng wakes up due to his bladder protesting. He yawns, tries to move and then realizes that he’s too hot. He’s covered in a blanket and body heat from Yukhei made him all sweaty. Somehow during the night they switched positions and Sicheng ended up lying half on top of his boyfriend, his head nestled into his shoulder. It takes some maneuvering but eventually he manages to sit upright and not wake Yukhei up in the process. Beta turns and stares for some moments at the sleeping alpha, how even in his sleep he looks attractive, how he takes up literally whole space of the bed, how his arm was wrapped around his frame protectively. Sicheng easily could have thought that everything what happened yesterday was a dream, but he’s sore everywhere and that’s a good enough proof. It takes him five minutes to find underwear stash, pick a new one and jump into the shower. Warm water releases tension from his muscles and he soaps throughly, finding little signs of the last night all over his body: hickeys on his collarbones, thighs, purplish bruises from Yukhei’s fingers gripping too hard on his hips. Sicheng traces every single one and shivers, thinks about Yukhei’s touch, kisses, words, thrusts. His body stirs up because of the memories so Sicheng switches water to a cold one, wanting to fully wake up. By the time he’s finished Yukhei’s still sleeping and Sicheng walks to the kitchen, not wanting to wake alpha up. He thinks about cooking something light, maybe just toasts or omelette when he notices chocolate cake on the table. They forgot to put it back into the freezer yesterday and it melted, but Sicheng quickly puts it into the fridge in hopes to save it somehow. On autopilot he starts preparing breakfast - same thing he does every morning - cracks two eggs, cuts sausage and tomatoes, pulls out milk to add into the omelette. The homeliness of the situation doesn’t catch up with him until he doesn’t hear sound of door opening and closing, meaning Yukhei woke up and went to the bathroom. Sicheng freezes, stares at his hands and tries to process that he’s standing in Yukhei’s kitchen, cooking both of them breakfast after spending night together. It’s surreal, something straight out of the movies where a rich handsome guy falls in love with a poor girls and then makes her a queen; Sicheng has a feeling he’s been swamped into a modern fairytale, where a successful man who can have anyone he wants somehow chooses a student who also works part-time in Starbucks. How this can be real?

‘Good morning baby.’

Sicheng almost bites his tongue off, starting at the sound of Yukhei’s voice. He doesn’t turn around, doesn’t have to because Yukhei comes up right behind him, wrapping arms around him. _This is very real._ They press against each other and Sicheng sighs from a gentle kiss on his forehead and then gasps when alpha’s very prominent morning wood digs into his ass. Sicheng puts knife down and grips table instead, when Yukhei hums and pushes his hips closer.

‘I’m- I’m cooking-’

‘ _Sicheng_ ,’ Yukhei calls and his voice is husky, sends goosebumps all over his skin.

Yukhei is done with holding back. Last night he wanted to do more, to finally let go but Sicheng was tired and done for, so he stayed down. He got hard again during night but took care of it himself in the bathroom, not wanting to bother his boyfriend. In the morning, however, he didn’t want to just jerk off in the shower again. Sicheng was right there, in his kitchen, wearing his boxers and old t-shirt and Yukhei is done waiting. He pushes his hard-on against beta’s ass and grinds, breathes in Sicheng’s smell that grows headier. It fucks with alpha’s head, makes him remember how yesterday whole room smelled like them, how it still smells like the perfect mixture of their scents and he loves it, wants it to always stay like that. He knows that Sicheng is probably sore, but Yukhei can’t, he _needs_ -

‘Please,’ he lets out, fingers grabbing beta’s hips. ‘I need it, need you so much.’

Tremor runs down Sicheng’s spine at this. He can’t describe this amazing feeling, how it inflates his ego to know that Yukhei still wants him. There was a very tiny sound in Sicheng’s mind when he woke up, voice saying that alpha got what he wanted and will leave, but Sicheng crashed it before it can grow any bigger; Yukhei is not like that and he won’t let himself think of alpha that way. But now, to feel this arousal, how desired he is - it starts a fire inside Sicheng’s chest. His confidence boosts levels up from knowing how wanted he is, how desperate Yukhei is in his wish to have him. Sicheng glows inside. His hipbones dig painfully into the table and he tries to move but Yukhei doesn’t let him, holds him so tight - both possessively and securely -

‘Yukhei,’ Sicheng calls and hisses, when alpha bucks his hips. ‘I- yes, you can-’

‘I want-’

‘ _Anything_ ,’ Sicheng interrupts, gasping when Yukhei’s teeth close at his shoulder. ‘Anything you want.’

Yukhei growls right into his ear and this sounds goes straight to Sicheng’s dick, making it twitch. Alpha’s lips attack his neck while his hands push beta’s underwear down. It takes few seconds for Sicheng to realize that Yukhei is fully naked and then another two to understand that alpha wants him to step back and widen his stance. Despite spending night together, being this open still embarrasses Sicheng, he hides his face in his hands. Yukhei makes him take off t-shirt and when he lays with his upper body fully on the table, he hisses from the coldness. Yukhei leaves a trail of wet kisses down his spine and spreads his cheeks apart. Sicheng can feel alpha trembling with desire and it fuels him more, he pushes into his hands and blushes when Yukhei hums appreciatively, groping his ass.

‘Lube is…fuck, in the bedroom,’ Yukhei mutters. ‘Wait here baby, two seconds.’

He darts towards the bedroom and Sicheng spits on his palm and fists his cock, slowly bringing it to full hardness. His body remembers how it feels like to be full of Yukhei, to become one with him and anticipation sings in his veins. He thinks of how much he wants to feel it again, to be underneath alpha, to have Yukhei’s big form cover him. It’s funny cause they don’t have a big difference in height, but Sicheng feels so much smaller in comparison to Yukhei - both physically and in presence. Because Yukhei’s energy, his aura, his presence is so _loud_ , so big and dominating, Sicheng feels small standing next to him. But small in the best ways, like he can let go and everything will be taken care of, like he’s protected. Yukhei rushes back and pauses at the sight of Sicheng jerking himself off, half-lying on the table, naked, legs opened wide. He gulps and comes closer; this time he didn’t forget a condom and pulls it on himself. He’s hard and doesn’t waste any time, pushes two slick fingers into Sicheng’s heat without any warning. Yukhei’s head spins, he thinks he’s definitely not okay mentally, because Sicheng’s shouts half of pain spur him on, make him burn with lust and all encompassing need to take. Being still loose from last night, Sicheng doesn’t show any resistance, but he’s still sore and it’s rather painful until he brings attention back to his dick. He can sense alpha’s urgency in a way he hurriedly scissors two fingers inside him and how he hastily adds third one. Already familiar with Sicheng’s body, Yukhei easily finds prostate and smirks at Sicheng’s moans, knowing full well when these moans mean pleasure and when not. And now? They drip with pleasure.

‘Good?’ He rasps, fucking Sicheng with his fingers.

Beta’s tries to arch his back but Yukhei’s hand on his shoulder stops him and he falls back on the table, groaning. ‘So good.’

Yukhei grunts and pulls out his fingers, slickening himself before lining up to Sicheng’s entrance. He pauses and lays on his boyfriend, lips right next to his ear: ‘You choose baby, either I fuck you like that or you’ll hike one leg on the table.’

Sicheng gulps. He was too busy with gripping table and forgot about his dick but now was reminded of it, when Yukhei’s hand skimmed over his shaft briefly. ‘Like that.’

Yukhei pecks his ear and adjusts both hands to grip Sicheng’s hips. ‘Hold tight.’

It’s the only warning Sicheng gets before alpha fills him up in a one go. It’s shocking, Sicheng almost goes numb for few moments before pleasure floods into his system, turning his mind off. Yukhei sets a fast, animalistic pace from the start, fucking into Sicheng with harsh thrusts that are strong enough to make beta move further and further on the table, make it shake. Sicheng grips the ends of it, tries to not fall cause his legs turned into jelly but otherwise lets Yukhei use him to chase his own pleasure. Alpha grunts lowly above him and shifts a bit, pushes his knee, widens Sicheng’s stance and fucks into him again. Yukhei’s fingers skim over beta’s back and higher until he leans in and takes Sicheng’s hand into his, interlacing their fingers. Sicheng squeezes his hands and shouts alpha’s name, because Yukhei’s almost laying on him and angle changed he somehow got even deeper and it’s the best, skin to skin, _so perfect, as close as he always wants to be_ -

‘Yukhei,’ he groans and turns his head to the side, immediately feeling alpha’s lips on him. Kiss is messy, they mostly lick into each other’s mouthes and exchange hot breaths but it sends sparks through him anyway. ‘ _Yukhei_ -’

‘I’m here,’ alpha answers and slows down his thrusts until he completely stops, just sitting in Sicheng, chest pressed to his back. It’s a surprisingly sweet moment of intimacy. Yukhei untangles one hand and cups Sicheng’s face with it instead. ‘I’m here baby. Is it- is it too much? Am I hurting you?’

Alpha’s eyes search frantically his face for any trace of discomfort or regret. Sicheng shakes his head and leans - or at least tries to, because it’s not like he can do anything - but Yukhei meets him halfway, pecking his lips. ‘No, it’s good, really good.’

Yukhei’s gaze darkens and nothing is left from his tender and worried expression in the next second. ‘Yeah?’ He asks and pulls himself off Sicheng’s back, hands again on his hips. ‘Really good?’

Sharp snap of hips sends Sicheng scrambling for any purchase, he moans and in the end his voice turns hoarse from all the shouting. His orgasm shimmers lowly in his stomach and Yukhei’s fast thrusts make it hard to hold back; Sicheng pants, feels like he doesn’t have enough air when Yukhei’s arms wrap around his waist and pull him up. His body resists, aches, but Sicheng still obeys, cries out when alpha’s hand wraps around his dick and starts jerk him off in the tandem of his thrusts. It doesn’t take long, Sicheng finishes a second before Yukhei, alpha not letting him fall face first on the table, holding him up with his arms. Hearing Yukhei growl and sigh is the sexiest thing, Sicheng melts when alpha starts peppering him with kisses.

‘Good?’ Sicheng asks. He doesn’t know himself what he means by this, but question falls out of his lips before his brain can register it.

‘Perfect,’ Yukhei replies and coos when Sicheng grimaces once alpha pulls out. ‘Sorry baby. Sore?’

Sicheng nods and basks in attention from alpha whole morning. He massages him, cooks for him, cuddles with Sicheng and doesn’t let him stray from him in any moment. It’s comfortable, like they did this million times before - Sicheng loves it. He’s bit lightheaded with the whole situation, marvels at how much they fit and promises himself to not spoil it. He’ll deal with his demons if needed, chase them out if it means Yukhei will stay with him, because to imagine rest of the life without these strong arms around him is not right. They discuss all the news and Sicheng decides to rise the subject that’s been nagging him for a while.

‘I don’t hate your friends, Sicheng,’ Yukhei says, when they lay on his sofa, bodies pressed to each other. ‘I promise you, I don’t. If anything I absolutely adore Taeyong, for example.’

‘It’s not about Taeyong, you know it. What about Xiaojun and Hendery?’ Sicheng asks, fingers drawing patterns on Yukhei’s chest.

Yukhei props himself up on one elbow and looks at Sicheng seriously. ‘They love you.’

Sicheng blinks. ‘Yes? Of course they do, I love them too, they are my closest friends. Taeyong loves me too and I love him. But you don’t behave like that towards Taeyong.’ Yukhei doesn’t reply on this and Sicheng adds: ‘Or is it because of Jaehyun? But Xiao and Hendery are dating each other, they also are not single.’

Yukhei frowns. He can’t tell if Sicheng honestly doesn’t understand what he implies or just refuses to see it. So he tries again, understands he needs to tread carefully: ‘You think they love you like Taeyong loves you?’

‘Well, they know me for a longer period of time, but ultimately yeah, of course. But they will argue and say that they love me more, especially Xiao, he’s always like that.’

Yukhei stares at his boyfriend and almost can’t believe that Sicheng doesn’t understand. He doesn’t know how beta can be so blind or naive, but Yukhei knows for sure that it’s not him who should break the news about his friends to him. Alpha has a growing suspicion that Taeyong is aware of this, but if he also didn’t say a thing then Yukhei also is going to keep his mouth shut. Even if his entire being is against it.

‘I just didn’t like Hendery’s tone and got a bit petty. And then Xiaojun literally kissed you on the lips, Sicheng. You want me to be okay with that? I didn’t say anything because starting a fight in that moment felt like a wrong thing to do.’

Sicheng huffs, shaking his head. ‘I’ll talk with Xiao about it. He’s just - he doesn’t mean anything by this, he’s just really affectionate and gets a bit carried away when he’s excited. But Yukhei, he didn’t mean it like _that._ I swear.’

 _Doesn’t mean it my ass_. Yukhei nods, wanting to be done with this topic. He pulls Sicheng closer, liking how beta immediately looks up, eyes shining and lips pouty, asking for a kiss. Once he got comfortable with Yukhei, beta became so much more open to affection, it makes alpha ridiculously happy.

‘Yongie’s probably waiting for me at home,’ he whispers and Yukhei looks at the watch on the wall. ‘I need to go.’

Yukhei sighs, makes a whole show out of not wanting to get up, but does get ready and drives Sicheng to his home. He thinks how nicely beta fits into his own apartment and smiles - Sicheng definitely should spend more time there.

‘We’re still on about dinner? All four of us in next week, right?’ Yukhei asks. He’s glad that these kind of dinners slowly but surely become something usual, a routine of some sort. ‘You’ll be all busy with finals?’

Sicheng nods, leaning into Yukhei’s hand that cradles his face. ‘And then I’ll probably fly to grandma to China.’

They touched briefly on this subject - Sicheng mentioned that instead of spending New Year with parents, he’d like to visit his grandparents who moved to China over ten years ago. Yukhei, who typically spends New Year in a tight family circle that also includes Jaehyun’s family, thought that maybe he can spend it with his boyfriend, but ultimately supported his decision to travel to China.

‘Alright, but after you come back from there, you’re all mine, right?’ Yukhei asks jokingly mostly, smiling at beta.

‘ _Yours_ ,’ Sicheng confirms. This word came out in a such tender fashion, so full of an inexplainable feeling, that Sicheng quickly tries to cover it up, blushing: ‘Uhm, I’m going. See you soon, bye!’

Yukhei blinks, doesn’t even get to respond when Sicheng leans close to peck his lips and then he’s out of the car faster than a bullet. Alpha stares blankly at the space but then starts laughing, heart full of happiness and affection. The way Sicheng said yours, the look in his eyes at that moment…

‘What are you doing, baby boy,’ Yukhei whispers, shaking his head fondly. ‘I’m trying so hard to hold back, but how can I, when you say things like that..’

He turns on the engine, happiness bubbling in his stomach, hands shaking a little from realization that maybe - just maybe - Sicheng feels exactly what Yukhei does. Wong doesn’t say a lot of things, not wanting to overwhelm younger, make him feel pressured… Alpha just hopes that Sicheng knows that Yukhei is his, also. If not - Yukhei has plenty of time to make him believe in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LET ME KNOW HOW WAS IT!! 
> 
> i changed it three times this is so frustratING!! anyway with this chapter i wanted to wish you a very good upcoming week, hopefully it'll be easy for all of us :') love you very much babes, sending you tightest hugs <3


	23. of parents and little secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> babies see each other for the first time after holidays

Taeyong yawns and sighs in satisfaction, when his bones crack while stretching. He blinks few times and smiles - his childhood room always brought up nice memories whenever he stayed here (which wasn’t much, he definitely didn’t visit his parents as much as he should). Sounds of cooking come from the kitchen and he hears his parents light bickering over black or green tea. Taeyong stays in bed for a while, scrolling through his phone, mostly answering to messages from friends. Sicheng sent a selfie with his grandparents, stating that Beijing is much colder than Seoul in January. He also says he misses him and Taeyong coos, writes back that he misses him too and waits for him to come back home. Yuta and Johnny post about their vacation in Dubai, looking tanned and well-rested. Taeyong is a bit jealous, but mostly happy that his friends finally gave themselves a rest - working for start-up 24/7 with no off days exhausted them to the brim. Jaehyun sent a simple: ‘ _i’ll be there at twelve_ ’ and Taeyong sits up, smiling from ear to ear. He spent New Year holidays at his parents and while catching up with them was great, he did miss his mate very much. Jaehyun and Yukhei also spent holidays with their families, Sicheng flew to China to his grandparents and with Johnny and Yuta traveling to Dubai, Taeyong was all alone.

‘Taeyongie, breakfast is ready!’ His mother calls in that sing-song voice, showing her good mood.

He quickly showers, brushes his teeth and rushes to the kitchen. Passing his mother he presses a loud smooch on her cheek, making her smile. His father ruffles his hair just like he did ten years ago, when Taeyong still was in middle school. Omega sighs hap[ily at seeing how his mother prepared for breakfast - table is full of plates with different meals, almost leaving no space empty. His mother, as usual, fusses over him, pushes all the plates in his direction, murmuring how he should eat more. It’s so domestic, exactly like Taeyong remembers from his school days, it warms his heart.

‘He’s twenty-four,’ his dad chides, but corners of his lips turn upwards when he watches interaction between son and wife. ‘He’s a very capable young man, not a five years old little boy.’

‘For me he’s always going to be a baby, my little baby,’ his mother says, voice full of love. ‘And don’t you see how skinny he is? He should eat more!’

Taeyong laughs, digs into the food with an enthusiasm that pleases both of his parents. Lee notes with satisfaction that his mother wears new cardigan he bought her and he reaches out, pats her hand lovingly. Coming back home is always nice, he doesn’t understand now why he didn’t do it more often. Here every single problem seems so small, irrelevant almost, all worries disappear. He obviously can’t stay here forever, but omega surely decided to visit at least once a month.

‘Who’s picking you up?’ His mother asks, handing him cup of tea. ‘That boy you mentioned? Jaehyun?’

Taeyong didn’t say much about his mate to his parents. Topic about parents never came up between him and Jaehyun and he didn’t know how alpha would react if he’ll tell his parents about finding a destined mate. Taeyong stated that he’s seeing a man, told that they’re serious about each other but that’s pretty much it. His parents never pried, so no more questions were asked; they probably felt how Taeyong is not ready yet to talk about Jaehyun with them.

‘Yeah, he’ll be here at twelve,’ he answers.

‘Will he come in?’

Taeyong freezes and catches his father’s gaze across the table. A silent understanding passes between them and his father nods slightly before moving conversation to completely different topic. Lee visibly relaxes, sends his father grateful smile. It’s not like he doesn’t want to introduce Jaehyun to his parents - it’s more of he’s not sure if Jaehyun wants it or not. Deep inside omega wants to tell his parents that he found a destined mate, a real one, the only one for him, but ultimately Jaehyun’s comfort is more important in this question.

‘I just want you to know,’ his father whispers, when Taeyong washes dishes and his mother disappeared in the living room, ‘that she didn’t mean it like that. She’s just curious, wants to see who makes her son happy. Your mom didn’t mean it in any bad way.’

Taeyong smiles at this and hands his father plates so he can dry them with a towel. ‘I know, dad. It’s alright, I understand.’

His father nods and they work in silence for some time until he nudges Taeyong gently, asking: ‘Are you happy? With him?’ When Taeyong turns to him with wide eyes he adds: ‘You just look happy. Content. It makes me and your mom happy to see you like that.’

Taeyong bites his lower lip to prevent himself from smiling wide. Is he happy? This question never came to his mind, but now come to think of it, he can easily say that yes, he is. Taeyong counts himself lucky: in this huge world he managed to not only find a destined mate but also fall in love with him, he has friends, work, apartment. He goes out to hang out when he feels like it, his salary is enough to have him lead a comfortable life without loans or credits, he’s surrounded by good friends and on top that he has a loving mate. If that’s not happiness then what is?

‘I am happy,’ he answers and watches as smile blossoms on his father’s face. ‘I think you’ll meet him soon.’

After cleaning kitchen they shuffle into his room, where Taeyong starts to pack. He didn’t bring a lot of clothes, so that ends quickly and then Lee family sits in the living room, watching tv and quietly conversing. Taeyong leans on his mother, smiles when she pets his hair - this closeness fills his heart with warmth. Time passes quickly and when suddenly his phone starts buzzing, Taeyong almost falls from the sofa in surprise.

‘I’m outside,’ Jaehyun greets and Taeyong opens his mouth to say that he’ll go out soon when alpha hesitantly asks: ‘Can I… Um, if you’re okay- I mean can I come inside?’

 _‘Inside?_ ’ Taeyong squeaks, gathering attention from his parents.

‘Only if you’re okay with that,’ Jaehyun quickly says. ‘I can wait outside-’

Taeyong’s mother pinches his skin and omega hisses but he can easily see that his parents are excited, very much want to see Jaehyun as they heard whole conversation. Omega sighs, acting very put off, when in fact he’s also really excited. ‘Come in,’ he says, biting his lip in attempt not to smile. ‘Third floor, first door on the left.’

His mother rushes to the kitchen to put kettle on, his father goes to check his reflection in the mirror and Taeyong stays seated, a bit frozen from shock. It takes full five seconds to realize that Jaehyun’s going to meet his parents, see his home and see _him_ for the first time in this new year. Lee also checks his appearance in the mirror and then runs to his room, groaning at the sight of a mess inside. He has half of a mind to just grab everything and push it either under the bed or into big cupboard, or maybe just cover everything with a blanket and hope that Jaehyun won’t enter his room, but then he hears light knocking and loud ‘ding’ that follows and -

‘Oh, hello. You must be Jaehyun.’

 _My god._ Taeyong freezes and strains his hearing to the maximum. He can’t seem to move and meet his alpha, legs don’t want to move and carry him to the living room. A sudden shiver runs down his spine along with nerves: what if Jaehyun won’t like his home? or his parents? or-

‘Taeyong, come out, Jaehyun came!’

Taeyong takes a deep breath and tries not to look very alarmed as he enters living room. His breath stops for a second as he sees his mate standing next to his mother, handing her pretty bouquet and smiling in a way that Taeyong knows will have his mother rambling about him all day. Jaehyun looks good in a beige cashmere sweater and black jeans, his hair is styled neatly and omega is stricken with the realization that Jaehyun was _getting ready for this_. He especially dressed up this way, his hair, a bouquet for his mother - alpha initially wanted to come and meet his parents. Taeyong’s brain short circuits.

‘We will go to the kitchen and leave you two alone for a while,’ his mother fusses and ushers his father out of the living room, smiling from ear to ear.

Jaehyun bites his lip and steps closer to his mate, not sure what he can or can’t do in this house. He desperately wants to reach out and tuck omega close to his heart; he missed him a lot. Spending time with his and Yukhei’s family was nice, it always is, but now when Jaehyun has Taeyong, not having his mate with him felt a bit odd. A lot of times during these days alpha turned and searched omega with his eyes only to feel disappointment when he didn’t find him anywhere near. Jaehyun hovers, debating whether he can kiss Taeyong or not, when Taeyong decides everything for him - he stands on tip toes and slots their mouths together. Jaehyun’s reaction is immediate: arms instantly come to wrap around omega’s waist and pull him closer, lips moving to memorize taste of his lover. They don’t let kiss get heated, but don’t make it short either; they gradually slow down until all they do is just peck each other in closed lips, smiling. Breathing Jaehyun’s scent in, Taeyong eases up, leans into the embrace and sighs in satisfaction when alpha’s hands start caressing his sides.

‘Missed you,’ Taeyong mumbles into Jung’s neck, hugging him back. ‘A lot.’

‘Me too, baby,’ Jaehyun whispers back, tightening his hold for a second. ‘Me too.’

They stay wrapped in each other for some more until Taeyong gently pulls back, smiling at a little pout on alpha’s face. ‘So,’ he starts, trying hard not to smile wide. ‘You came all prepared to sweep my parents of their feet, huh?’

Jaehyun’s eyes widen and then he blushes, ducking his head. He looks adorable and Taeyong coos at that, pinching his cheek. ‘Is it very obvious?’ Jaehyun asks in a small voice. ‘I tried to make it look natural.’

Taeyong starts laughing loudly, head thrown back. ‘Natural? You came in with a bouquet!’

Alpha bashfully smiles. He can’t keep his eyes off his omega, listening to his laughter and watching his happy expression. Jaehyun missed this and, for a numerous time in these days, silently thanks whoever is responsible for bringing Taeyong in his life. Taeyong wipes few tears of his face and then smiles softly, when he notices alpha’s stare. They gravitate towards each other on their own, lips meeting again in a sweet kiss that holds unsaid confessions and promises for more. When they enter kitchen, table is all set again, full of various dishes and Jaehyun for a second feels bad for just coming in like this uninvited. He tries to sit closer to the exit, but Taeyong pushes him in the middle and alpha follows, albeit awkwardly.

‘Feel yourself at home,’ Taeyong’s father says, smiling welcomingly.

Jaehyun smiles at this, but still feels nervous, tensed. Under the table Taeyong pushes their legs together, a firm contact that grounds alpha. ‘Mom, Jaehyun probably already had breakfast, you don’t have to-’

‘No, no!’ Jaehyun quickly grabs Taeyong’s wrist and stops his mate from pushing all of the plates away from him. ‘I didn’t really have breakfast, so that’s great, actually.’

That’s a blatant lie - Jaehyun woke up at eight and had a nice breakfast with his mother. But he doesn’t want to seem rude or give Taeyong’s mother chance to think anything remotely bad about him - if to be liked he needs to eat another plate of any dish, he’ll do it with eyes closed. Taeyong arches one eyebrow at him, clearly seeing through his act, but doesn’t say anything, just sits down and lets his mother fuss over Jaehyun.

‘Taeyong didn’t tell us much about you and we didn’t want to pry,’ his mother starts, sitting next to him. ‘How did you two meet?’

Jaehyun gets a grip of himself; he had walked out as a winner out of the toughest negotiations with business world’s giants, he surely can pull through a simple breakfast with Taeyong’s parents. He notices little things, details that stuck in his heart: how Taeyong scrunches his nose exactly like his mother does, how his father sits relaxed with no pretense to show who the head of this family is, how their conversations flow easily without any awkward feeling, how they try to make Jaehyun feel welcomed but don’t try too hard, they don’t go out of their way and it doesn’t feel insincere. Alpha notes how they obviously are very proud of Taeyong, looking at him with parental affection and Taeyong responds in the same fashion, he’s not shy to show his cute side to the parents, smiles when they coo at him like a little baby. Jaehyun’s gaze stops at little magnets on the fridge door - souvenirs from traveling and there are also few photos on it, of the whole family together when Taeyong was a little boy. It’s cute, so homely and cozy, alpha doesn’t even notice how he relaxes his posture and talks freely, without calculating every single his move or word. He lets go of the iron control he usually has on himself, feels that he’s accepted here fully.

‘Well we did feel a bit sad when Taeyong left this company, but he’s now with his friends and seems happy, that’s the most important thing,’ his mother says.

Jaehyun nods and feels how Taeyong squeezes his hand under the table. Lee in the end joined his two friends in their start-up that can’t exactly be called start-up anymore, rather a growing small business. Jaehyun at first was cautious of this whole thing, but Taeyong looked happy, he liked working with friends and liked being busy (and there was a hell lot of the work to do there), so after a while Jaehyun stopped worrying.

‘I agree,’ he says, staring at his mate. ‘His happiness is the most important thing.’

Taeyong glances at him and then quickly averts his eyes, blushing. Jaehyun smiles and doesn’t even try to be subtle and look away - he continues looking at him and brings their joined hands on the table. It’s a rather bold move, but Jaehyun wants to make it clear that he’s not just a boyfriend. From the start he immediately realized that Taeyong didn’t tell his parents about them being destined mates and while he’s not going to scream it on top of his lungs, he does want to show that he’s not just a fling. Jaehyun has a fear that maybe he did this wrong, but Taeyong’s smile tells him otherwise - his mate shines with happiness, he looks so proud that Jaehyun could kiss him senseless now if only they were alone.

‘Cheesecake?’ His mother asks, breaking their eye contact. ‘I bought it yesterday and who said that we can’t eat it for a breakfast?’

‘I think these boys are in a hurry,’ Taeyong’s father interrupts, staring at them with a knowing smile. ‘Aren’t you?’

‘We are,’ Taeyong quickly agrees and stands up, tugging Jaehyun with him. ‘Thanks mom, but we’ll go.’

Jaehyun blinks and almost says that he can stay, when Taeyong’s mother nods and lets them go back to the living room. She starts searching for food containers to give to them and this time doesn’t stop even after Taeyong assures her that they don’t need anything. Jaehyun volunteers to help, when Taeyong and his father exit the kitchen; he feels weirdly at ease with the woman even when he met her just now. Jaehyun packs some fruits in one and few slices of cheesecake in another container and smiles, when Taeyong’s mother pats his shoulder, smiling gently.

‘Next time,’ she starts and he turns, looking at her. ‘When Taeyong decides to visit us, you come too, okay?’

Jaehyun smiles, a bit shy at this sudden proposition. ‘Sure, I’ll try to.’

She smiles and steps closer, lightly patting his cheek with her palm. It’s such a motherly gesture that Jaehyun can’t help but duck his head, leaning to the touch. ‘It was very nice to meet you, Jaehyun. I hope we’ll see you more.’

Before Jaehyun can reply with anything Taeyong pops into the kitchen, glancing between them warily but then throwing all the caution away and coming closer to his alpha. ‘I’m ready and you?’

Jaehyun nods and they quickly gather everything before going to the corridor and putting their shoes on. Jaehyun feels a heavy gaze on him and when he straightens up he sees Taeyong’s father staring at him. Despite alpha’s worst predictions, there’s nothing negative and none of that stupid seizing up thing; Taeyong’s father just stares with a small smile on his face, that makes little wrinkles appear on the sides of his eyes. It’s a relief for Jaehyun, as he usually is met with head-strong alphas, who immediately try to show who’s in charge here. But Taeyong’s parents, both being betas, display only calmness and acceptance, making Jaehyun feel at ease. Taeyong hugs both of them, lets them kiss his face and ruffle his hair, nods to his mother’s ‘ _did you take everything?’_ and his father’s ‘ _call us more often’_. Jaehyun grabs Taeyong’s bag and lets omega exit first, hovering a little at the doors.

‘Thank you,’ he says quietly, looking at his mate’s parents. ‘It was very nice and..uhm..’ Jaehyun’s not sure what happened, how did words that he prepared suddenly disappeared from his head. ‘Uhm..’

‘It was very nice to meet you, Jaehyun.’ Taeyong’s father steps out and shakes his hand firmly. ‘Glad that you decided to come up and introduce yourself.’

‘And as I told you, I hope we’ll see you more often!’ Taeyong’s mother exclaims.

‘Oh I’m sure we will. Isn’t that right, Jaehyun?’

Jaehyun smiles at the wink of Taeyong’s father and nods. He _oof_ s in surprise when he receives a hug from both of them but tries to hug back as best as he can with two bags in his hands. When he turns he sees Taeyong watching them with lights dancing in his eyes, content smile on his lips. He looks like he’s about to cry and Jaehyun quickly says goodbyes and closes the door behind himself, leaving him and omega alone next to the elevator.

‘Baby,’ Jaehyun quietly calls, reaching to caress Taeyong’s cheekbone. ‘All good?’

Taeyong nods and shakes his head a little, his smile wavers. ‘Now I remembered that I don’t like to come here often cause leaving always makes me sad.’

Jaehyun sighs and pulls his mate to the cabin, immediately wrapping arms around him as doors close. Taeyong’s parents don’t live in the city - it’s almost two hours drive to their home and it’s understandable how Taeyong, without a car, doesn’t visit often; and it’s also understandable why omega left - this little city suits his parents, but not him. To take omega’s mind away from sad things Jaehyun tells him how he spent these holidays. He talks about Yukhei’s hilarious match in arm-wrestling against his father, Jaehyun’s father failed attempt to help his mother with cooking, dinners all together filled with laughter and stories about old times. Taeyong laughs till his belly starts hurting and it’s a way better picture than his eyes filled with unshed tears. They trade stories whole time till they reach city and Jaehyun follows Taeyong to his apartment, bringing bags with him. He can feel omega buzzing with something, he’s fidgeting, staring at Jaehyun with wide eyes; he keeps on biting his lower lip and alpha feels static pass between them in short impulses. He doesn’t want to imagine things that are not there, but when Taeyong steps close and holds on to Jaehyun’s bicep as they ride in the elevator, Jaehyun’s gets a whiff of his scent and it almost knocks him dead on his feet with the amount of desire in it.

‘Taeyong?’ Jaehyun calls, rather surprised.

Omega doesn’t answer, shifting closer and closer to him until he’s plastered to his side. Jaehyun chuckles, not even trying to hide how pleased he is with this. When Taeyong looks up, his eyes are already blown with lust and alpha’s breath hitches, his whole being instantly molding, fitting his mate. This sudden change is surprising, but not unwelcome - if anything, Jaehyun is just as eager to get his hands on this boy. Taeyong battles with the door lock for few seconds and pushes door open with a satisfied grunt, removing his shoes in haste. Jaehyun has just enough time to close the door behind himself and put bags down before he has an armful of Taeyong, licking his neck hotly.

‘Shit,’ Jaehyun curses, feeling omega’s hands sliding to his belt. He catches his wrists and growls at a pitiful whine that leaves omega’s lips. ‘Not here, I didn’t even take my shoes off.’

Taeyong stops for a second, he looks into alpha’s eyes and smirks. There are devils dancing in the irises of his eyes, full of mischief - Jaehyun knows what it means and still caves in every single time, powerless to Taeyong’s charm. Omega drops on his knees and Jaehyun braces himself against the door, swallowing hard when his belt is being thrown away and zipper tugged down. Taeyong is nothing if not focused when it comes to something he wants - a man on a mission and the mission is to drive Jaehyun crazy. Just the sight of Taeyong on his knees is enough to mess with alpha’s head, but he holds on, tries to hide his true feelings with a stoic mask, simply cause he knows it only riles up omega more. Taeyong digs his fingers into Jaehyun’s thighs, going up, up - stopping right where alpha wants him to touch the most. Taeyong is not just a tease; he’s good at it and he knows it, which makes him just that much harder to resist. Omega quickly sees the challenge in alpha’s eyes - _will be you be able to crack my composure?_ \- and replies with a hot smirk. A vixen, Taeyong does everything slowly, pulls Jaehyun’s underwear down, lets it pool at his knees next to jeans. He makes a show of licking his lips, looking up at alpha with starry eyes, innocent expression on and Jaehyun is proud that he doesn’t react on this (even when all he wants is to fist Taeyong’s hair and maybe make him choke on his dick, so this eyes will be filled with tears and mouth stretched obscenely over his cock). Jaehyun lets himself be affected, though. His dick slowly hardens under Taeyong’s teasing actions: his kitten licks to the head, feather-like touches of the balls, very light grip of the shaft. He doesn’t fully take him in, not yet, waits for Jaehyun’s reactions, plays on his patience like on some instrument. And Jaehyun doesn’t want to give up this easily, but he never could hold his ground for long against Taeyong, so he gives in and reaches out with one hand, grabbing omega’s hair.

‘Teasing will get you nowhere,’ he mutters, eyes dark and trained on Taeyong’s little form.

Omega blinks, shivering; excitement and lust rush through his veins and he grins. Having Jaehyun lose his control under his hands is Taeyong’s favorite thing - he loves it when alpha gets impatient, likes how he can make Jaehyun lose his cool just like _that_. Alpha’s eyes roll back to the back of the head when Taeyong finally closes his mouth around him - it’s heavenly, always as good as it was the first time. His mate goes down to business right away - hollows his cheeks, tries to go as low as possible, slurps and makes these obscene noises that drive alpha crazy. Taeyong hums approvingly when grip on his hair tightens and starts bobbing his head, getting lost in the headspace. Giving someone head always had this effect on him - he can drift to the headspace easily, but he always was mindful of it, because not everyone can take a good care of him when he lets go. But with Jaehyun he does it in a blink of an eye, knowing that his alpha is the best at taking care of him, knowing that he can let go and put whole trust into Jaehyun’s hands - he won’t break it.

‘Just like that,’ Jaehyun whispers, both hands locked in Taeyong’s hair, pushing him a little further. ‘Think you can open up wider, baby?’ Taeyong nods as much as he can and relaxes his jaw, taking Jaehyun deeper. ‘Holy fu- _that’s it_ , yeah, like that.’

Taeyong moans, vibrations make Jaehyun hiss and he straightens up, realizing that he bent down a little to accumulate Taeyong better. He can tell that Taeyong is on the brink, eyes glazed over, breathing shallowed, scent heady and so potent, it sips into Jaehyun’s pores, enters his body and head and alpha bucks his hips, not being able to contain himself. Taeyong chokes and Jaehyun almost lets go of his hair, but omega doesn’t even retaliate, only goes back to sucking him like a champ and Jaehyun groans at this. The view is incredible - Taeyong on his knees, looking at him with his big eyes and it’s like he’s asking for his mouth to be fucked, Jaehyun doesn’t even try to hold back anymore. He pulls out, ignores whine from his mate and tightens his hold on hair:

‘Open up,’ he commands and everything shifts in Taeyong once he hears the tone which Jaehyun used. Omega instantly puts both hands on his thighs and opens his mouth wide, looking at alpha with all the trust and obedience in the world. _Jaehyun is so, so fucked_. ‘Tap twice if it’ll get too much.’ Taeyong doesn’t reply on this and Jaehyun makes him look up, hold on his hair tightening so much that it’s painful. ‘If it gets too much and you won’t let me know, I’ll punish you, Taeyong. Did you hear me?’

Taeyong has been punished only once by Jaehyun and it wasn’t an ultimately nice experience. That time he also forgot to let alpha know that it’s too much, but Jaehyun felt it, stopped and punished Taeyong on the next day, spanking him hard till he was sobbing quietly into the pillow. ( _‘Don’t ever lie to me. This will be your reminder, don’t hide anything, if it gets too much you tell me and I stop. Is it clear? I don’t want anything if you also don’t get pleasure from it.’_ )

Taeyong swallows and nods. ‘Tap twice.’

Jaehyun smiles, pleased. ‘That’s correct, baby.’

His thumb brushes past Taeyong’s lips and omega of course takes this opportunity to lick it, smiling at his alpha. Jaehyun smiles back, marveling at the sheer beauty that makes Taeyong undeniably the most attractive man ever to exist. And he’s his mate. Jaehyun sometimes still can’t believe it. He gestures him to come closer and Taeyong obeys, opening his mouth wide and closing his eyes as soon as Jaehyun pushes his dick in. Jung is not rough, never fucks Taeyong’s mouth hard and fast - his thrusts are rather slow, but he holds omega’s head, doesn’t let him move until he gags and then pulls out just a bit and does it again. Taeyong takes it like he was meant to do it his whole life, breathes through the nose and flattens his tongue, sometimes even teasing alpha and swirling it on the tip of his cock. Jaehyun’s breathing stutters, he groans with every single thrust and the image of Taeyong also palming himself spurs him on. Omega moans languidly once Jaehyun pulls out completely, palms himself and pants, looks at Jaehyun with glassy eyes and lips covered in spit and precome - alpha doesn’t know how he didn’t finish right then.

‘Alpha,’ Taeyong calls and tugs zipper on his pants down. Jaehyun waits for him to pull his underwear down too and chuckles at seeing how hard his mate is. ‘Alpha…’

‘What is it, baby?’ He asks, surprised how nonchalant his voice sounds. ‘My omega wants something?’

Taeyong lets out a high pitched moan at that, gripping the base of his dick. ‘Yes, want you to fuck my mouth and then-’

‘And then fuck you?’ Jaehyun suggests, smirking at the way Taeyong’s body goes lax at this. ‘Right here? How desperate my baby is?’

Taeyong huffs and pouts - _adorable_ , Jaehyun’s mind screams. ‘I missed you!’ He says, indignantly.

Jaehyun smiles and moves closer, Taeyong instantly opens his mouth wide. ‘I missed you too, darling. And I’ll give you anything you want.’

Jaehyun doesn’t lose total control, but his thrusts do get a bit faster as he feels beginning of an orgasm burning in the pit of his stomach. Taeyong must feel it too, he sucks harder, adds just a shadow of teeth, enough to make Jaehyun groan in appreciation. Jaehyun closes his eyes and lets himself go, thrusts turning erratic. Taeyong grips his thighs in response, holds tight and pulls out right before diving back in, feeling alpha’s semen filling his mouth. Jaehyun holds his head tight, moans brokenly as he cums and leans on the door, panting. Taeyong swallows everything and pulls out with a loud ‘pop’, licking his lips and coughing. Jaehyun looks down in worry, but omega shakes his head and tries to stand up, but his knees buckle and he ends up on his fours, groaning. It takes Jaehyun five minutes to finally get rid off his shoes, jeans, underwear and pick Taeyong up, carrying him to the bedroom. Making love to Taeyong when he’s in that headspace is different from when omega is fully present with him; in this headspace Taeyong almost barely talks, just moans, shouts, groans and grunts, asks Jaehyun to go harder. Like this Taeyong just wants Jaehyun near, as close to him as humanly possible, always choosing positions where they could stare into each other’s eyes, where he can connect their lips, whisper Jaehyun’s name into his ear again and again. It’s always over quickly in comparison to how it goes when Taeyong’s present, but Jaehyun loves both variants, happy to give Taeyong anything he needs in any moment.

‘Mmm, close,’ Taeyong mumbles into alpha’s lips, arms wrapped around Jaehyun’s neck as he fucks into him. ‘Close, Jaehyunnie, faster, please.’

Jaehyun obeys, instinct to please his omega drives him to the wall. Taeyong shouts, arches from the bed, clings to Jaehyun as he spills on their torsos and sags immediately, letting Jaehyun use him as a rag doll until he also finishes. Omega hums and cuddles to his mate, even when they’re both in a dire need of a shower; Jaehyun hugs him back, pulls him close and caresses his side, relishing in Taeyong’s quiet giggles of ‘ticklish!’. Taeyong goes out of the headspace just as easily as he enters it, much to Jaehyun’s shock. They kiss lazily for a while until omega pulls back, eyes clear and with no traces of fog in them.

‘I’m so happy that you met my parents,’ he confesses, tracing unknown patterns on alpha’s chest.

‘Is this why you couldn’t wait till we get to the bedroom?’ Jaehyun teases and Taeyong colors, whining. ‘Wait, really?’

‘You’ve been so nice! And I can tell that they liked you and- and you know what I think about you driving- don’t laugh!’

Jaehyun can’t stop though; he stops only when Taeyong starts hitting him, pouting. ‘Okay-okay, I’m sorry, baby. It was just too funny.’ He pecks his lips. ‘Shower? And then we can order take-out.’

Taeyong suddenly grunts. ‘Sichengie will come tomorrow, I need to clean this whole place and buy groceries and-’

‘Shower first.’ Jaehyun decides for them and shushes all protests with a kiss.

Showering for them mostly means exchanging little pecks while rinsing off and Jaehyun loves it. Loves how mushy Taeyong gets, how omega openly asks for physical touch and affection, like the cuddliest bear. Loves how happy his mate looks, how content he is while letting Jaehyun do all the work. Loves being able to just pull Taeyong close and enjoy warmth of his body, hard planes of it, knowing that he can touch wherever he wants and whenever he wants. Loves holding Taeyong in his arms, his heart trying to break through his chest to become one with omega’s heart. Jaehyun loves Taeyong. Truly, openly and sincerely - the only way that he can.

‘I love you,’ he says into Taeyong’s hair, when they step out.

Taeyong, who was snatching towels for both of them, freezes. He stares at alpha for five agonizing seconds and then his lips turn into the most beautiful smile Jaehyun has ever seen. He hands him a towel, wraps another around his hips and steps closer to alpha. ‘Really?’

Jaehyun blinks. His automatic response is ‘you think i’d joke about something like that?’, but then he sees omega’s mouth twitching and realizes that Taeyong is on about teasing him again. He sighs, grabbing towel and nodding. ‘Yeah, really.’

‘You love me because I’m your destined mate?’

Jaehyun arches one eyebrow, unimpressed. He rolls his eyes. ‘No, Taeyong. I love you because you are you.’

Omega’s expression abruptly changes. Smile fades away and he stares at Jaehyun, serious. Jaehyun almost gets a whiplash from this sudden change, gripping ends of the towel nervously. Taeyong’s eyes scan his facial expression carefully and he then steps back a little, looking very unsure. Jaehyun’s hand reaches out to stop him from going too far on instinct - he grabs omega’s wrist before he can even think about it. Taeyong doesn’t shake off his grip, just stares at his hand and then slowly looks up. Jaehyun desperately wishes for the ability to read minds, because he’s sure that something crucial is happening inside Taeyong’s brain now and he’s afraid that his thoughts will go to the wrong direction. Alpha clears his throat and adds, knowing that he needs to make a point here:

‘You being my destined mate is a nice bonus. I don’t really care about this thing, I honestly can’t care less if you’re my destined mate or not, I’d still be with you and love you if we weren’t that.’

Jaehyun, even at this point, doesn’t get what the big deal about destined mates is. More than half of world’s population gets together without this thing and they are all fine. Hell, if somehow everything changed and Jaehyun and Taeyong both ended being betas, alphas or omegas - he knows he’d still have this attraction. He’s thankful, of course. Jung totally gets that Taeyong wouldn’t have scented him in the first meeting if they weren’t destined mates, but he thinks even without this they’d get to know each other somehow. Someone like Taeyong would have caught Jaehyun’s attention anyway, regardless of the scent and anything else. Taeyong was destined to him, even if we put all this biology thing aside.

‘I…’ Taeyong licks his lips and takes a deep breath, looking at Jaehyun. ‘If it’s like that then I love you too.’

Jaehyun is too stunned to reply but he does hug Taeyong back, when omega rushes into his arms. Deep inside he knew that his feelings were not one-sided, but to hear this out loud is different.

‘Unfreeze, Jae,’ Taeyong jokingly says, patting alpha on the back.

Jaehyun coughs and grips Taeyong tighter in his arms. Happiness bubbles in his stomach, fills him up to the brim, makes it hard to breathe. He tries to find words to say, to convey his feelings, to portray his thoughts but then settles for a deep kiss that says both _thank you_ and _i’m so happy_ as well as _i love you so much you won’t regret it, i promise_. Taeyong kisses back with everyone he has, melts in alpha’s arms and breathes in their mingled scents, feeling light and happy.

‘You won’t regret it,’ Jaehyun whispers reverently and with such a conviction that Taeyong’s heart swells.

Jaehyun showers his face with kisses, not knowing how else he can express his love. Taeyong giggles, enjoys all the affection and pushes them back to the bedroom, on the bed, under the covers. He cuddles into alpha’s chest, sighs in satisfaction when strong arms pull him even closer.

‘I love you,’ he murmurs again, sleepily. Now that he has said it once, it gets easier to say it again.

‘Love you too, baby.’ Jaehyun places a small kiss on his head, covering them with a blanket. ‘Love you more.’

+=+

Yukhei sighs, checks time on the clock for the tenth time and sighs again. Airport is one of his favorite places, almost like a second home to him with how often he can be found here, but waiting has never been his strong point and waiting for someone in the airport, where he can easily lose his person because there’re just too many people around is not funny. Alpha pushes himself closer, so he can clearly see whoever goes out from baggage claim. Sicheng’s flight landed thirty minutes ago, but beta didn’t turn his phone on yet and Yukhei can’t reach him. He looks around, smiles at seeing how people get reunited: how they run into each other’s arms, hug, spin, cry from happiness. He also sees tears of sadness, people parting, barely holding their emotions together. Airport, as a place, probably sees more sincere kisses and tears than any other place in the world; atmosphere here is different, cold and warm at the same time, homely and completely distant. Yukhei straightens up when he notices that people finally started to come out from the exit - families, mostly. He tries calling his boyfriend again and this time Sicheng answers, panting: ‘Yes?’

‘I’m waiting for you,’ Yukhei says, not being able to control his smile at hearing voice of the other. ‘Did you take your bags? Do you need help with them? I can come in-’

Sicheng laughs, interrupting him. ‘It’s just one suitcase. I got it, I’m out- Yukhei!’

Alpha’s feet stay rooted at the place for two seconds until his brain catches up and he rushes towards his boyfriend. Sicheng smiles, opens his arms wide and stares at Yukhei with such an open expression, a bit tired but still full of happiness - Yukhei’s heart starts beating faster. They hug, squeeze each other tight and stay like that for few minutes, relishing in warmth and understanding that they’re finally together. Sicheng is the one who breaks the hug, looks up and smiles his Disney prince smile - the one that can turn anyone’s legs into jelly. Yukhei smiles back and gently kisses him, remembering that beta is not very comfortable with pda, so he ends kiss shortly.

‘Hey, pretty,’ Yukhei greets, staring into Sicheng’s face. His cheeks got fuller, he looks more fresh and well-rested and Yukhei is in l-o-v-e. ‘How was the flight?’

‘I’m tired,’ Sicheng answers, covering his mouth with a hand while yawning. ‘Couldn’t sleep at all.’

Yukhei moves them a bit to the wall, not liking how many people pass and brush against them. ‘Where do you want to go? I can drive you home or if you’re hungry we can first eat somewhere..’

‘Food sounds good,’ Sicheng replies and suddenly buries his nose into alpha’s chest, hugging him. ‘This sounds much better.’

Yukhei, surprised at first, quickly catches up and hugs him back. He thought that all of affection is postponed till they get alone, but he’s more than happy to indulge his boyfriend, wrapping arms around him securely. Yukhei missed him, often thought about him during holidays, but he didn’t feel sad - he was happy that Sicheng was with his grandparents and they didn’t text that much, both busy with their respective families. Yukhei liked it; he’s not a big fan of complete attachment, hip to hip kind of one, where couples always text and call each other, know what’s going with the other every second of the day. They have their own lives first and it was good to know that Sicheng also appreciated relative freedom very much. Yukhei smiles and kisses beta’s head.

‘I can stay like that forever,’ he says and chuckles, when Sicheng’s stomach grumbles. ‘But I think we better go and eat.’

Sicheng nods in agreement and follows alpha to his car. There’s something different about him, a change on which Yukhei can’t put his finger on; it’s like Sicheng’s aura shifted. He seems more…confident, like someone who found himself and his place in this world. Yukhei notes these little differences that are almost in everything: from the way Sicheng talks to how he walks. Everything screams of these changes, Sicheng _glows_ and alpha is hypnotized.

‘And then I- Why are you looking at me like that?’ Sicheng asks, when they finally get to the car and put his suitcase in it.

‘You’re different,’ Yukhei easily replies, getting into the driver’s seat. ‘I can’t explain it but you changed, something about you is very different.’

He expected beta to be confused or to deny this, but Sicheng only smiles, nodding a little in acceptance. ‘I think… I’m glad I went there. My grandparents made me rethink many things.’

Yukhei nods in understanding and turns his palm up, showing it to beta. ‘I hope you tell me all about it. But for now - hand, please.’

Sicheng looks puzzled but then blushes - Yukhei is _so_ glad that he still blushes - and puts his hand into alpha’s. Their fingers interlace and both smile, staring at each other. Yukhei is the one who crosses the distance and connects their lips - away from prying eyes he can kiss Sicheng how much he wants to. His boyfriend opens up to him immediately, kissing back with no usual hesitance; Yukhei leans closer, deepens the kiss and bites on beta’s lower lip, not being able to hold himself. Sicheng hisses, pulls back but heat in his eyes only turns alpha on more - Yukhei dives back in, but loud honking from behind them makes them stop.

‘We have all the time in the world now,’ Yukhei says happily and concentrates on the road.

Sicheng, never the picky one about food, agreed to place Yukhei suggested and forty minutes later there were seated in a nice restaurant, waiting for their orders. Yukhei listened attentively to his boyfriend; he wouldn’t be able to look away if he wanted to. Sicheng’s eyes shine like stars, he starts gesticulating wildly as he progressively gets more and more excited - it’s the cutest thing to witness. He talks, blabbers on and on about his grandparents, Beijing, what he did there. He at first seems a bit hesitant to go into details, but Yukhei encourages him, tells him that he wants to hear it all, cause it’s true. Sicheng tells him about old apartment in which his grandparents live, how they all tried to cook dinners every evening together, all eating in the living room. He sounds happy talking about them, confesses that he wishes he had more time, regrets not visiting them earlier.

‘They accept me fully,’ he says, when waiter returns with their orders. ‘They love me for who I am, no conditions, you know? And they don’t have any expectations, all they care about is whether I have eaten and if I’m not ill, that’s it. It’s very… comfortable to stay with them, to not feel any pressure. They just want me to be happy and healthy. It’s great to stay with them.’

Yukhei nods in agreement. His grandparents are the same and he knows how freeing it is when you’re surrounded by people who love you unconditionally. He understands now what’s different about Sicheng - to spend that much time with these kind of people of course will leave its own print. He hopes his boyfriend will be able to save this for a long time, at least until next phone call with his parents; seeing him this happy is the best feeling.

‘And you?’ Sicheng asks, putting more meat on Yukhei’s plate. ‘By the videos you sent me I assume everything went very well.’

Yukhei smiles, chuckling. He sent Sicheng some short videos from the holidays: one about them trying to cook dinner, another one shot by Jaehyun as he arm-wrestled with his father and third one of Jaehyun singing. Yukhei was surprised with his desire to share these kind of things; he’s generally an open person, but everything regrading his family is a very private matter to him. He doesn’t share pictures of his closed ones, doesn’t talk much about them - nothing secretive, it’s just his principle to keep it private. But with Sicheng he wanted to share it all - little snippets of his life, of people he loves and cherishes, his family. It’s funny how it made his heart flutter - he anxiously waited for Sicheng’s response to any of the videos he sent. When he received emojis of heart eyes and his cheerful audios he got so happy, it’s almost embarrassing. Alpha leans back and tells his boyfriend about everything, not really going into details mainly because Jaehyun’s parents were there also and he’s not sure if he can talk about them or not. He watches Sicheng clear his plate with a smile on his face - seeing this baby eat made him full on its own.

‘Home?’ Yukhei asks and beta nods approvingly. ‘Let’s go then.’

He pays and takes Sicheng’s hand in his, bringing it up to his mouth. He kisses Sicheng’s knuckles softly, enjoying light blush that colored his cheeks. Beta gets so shy, he almost runs from cafe to Yukhei’s car, alpha’s booming laughter ringing in his ears. They reach his apartment quickly and Yukhei becomes a witness of a very heart-warming scene when Taeyong greets Sicheng. Two friends hug each other and without breaking the hug shuffle like that to the living room, smiling, laughing and Yukhei snaps few pics and a little video, sending it to Jaehyun immediately. Taeyong kisses Sicheng’s face and then gets up, finally noticing another person in their home.

‘Hi!’ He greets, smiling. ‘I’m gonna go and start cooking-’

‘We ate,’ Sicheng interrupts. ‘Me and Yukhei will be in my room-’

‘No funny business, you know how thin these walls are!’ Taeyong shouts from the kitchen and Sicheng blushes, much to Yukhei’s amusement. ‘And I’m still going to cook!’

It’s Yukhei’s first time in this apartment. He looks around, follows Sicheng to his room and smiles at the amount of sketchbooks he immediately sees on the table close to the window. Sicheng’s room is clean, walls are bare and basically there’s nothing in here that can tell a bit about the owner. Nothing, if not to count what’s going on the table. Yukhei steps closer, fingers brushing many drafts, unfinished sketches of this and that: some houses, few sketches of forests, portraits of some people. Alpha picks out one sketch and smiles at the familiarity of it - Sicheng drew park, where they first met. Two barely distinguishable figures that Yukhei supposes are them, sitting under a big tree. He hears shuffling behind him and then Sicheng steps closer, also looking at the sketch.

‘It’s us, right?’ Yukhei asks and beta nods. ‘Can I keep it?’

‘It’s not pretty though,’ Sicheng pouts, frowning at the sketch. ‘Unfinished..’

‘I’m keeping it,’ Yukhei decides, smiling. ‘Do you need help with unpacking?’ Only then he notices that beta is holding something in his hands. ‘What is it?’

Sicheng colors, biting his lower lip. ‘I didn’t know what to bring you from Beijing, you’ve been there before and well, you have everything so… my grandmother knit this scarf just for you.’

Yukhei blinks, turning fully around. He sees black long scarf in Sicheng’s hand and doesn’t know what to say, too stunned to form any words. His boyfriend takes the silence as a cue to gently wrap scarf around his neck. Sicheng steps back and smiles, brushing material with his hand.

‘My grandma likes to knit. She did one for me too.’

‘You told her about me?’ Yukhei asks, in awe. He didn’t really mention Sicheng to his parents - just told them that he’s in a relationships, but refused to say anything else. But did Sicheng…?

‘Um,’ Sicheng awkwardly clears his throat. ‘Kind of? I just told her I’m not alone anymore and she didn’t ask anything else. I didn’t really..you know. Didn’t really say a lot, I guess.’

Yukhei smiles, pleased that they get each other perfectly here. He caresses his new scarf and feels warmth from it seep right into his heart. He’s touched and brings Sicheng close to him, placing kiss on his forehead.

‘Tell your grandmother that I love it and that I’m very grateful.’

Sicheng feels sincerity and it makes him happy - he watched his grandmother work on their scarves, saw how she put all her love and dedication on them, so the fact that her work is appreciated makes him smile. When he looks up, suddenly Yukhei is standing too close, tips of their noses almost touch and when they kiss, it’s like pieces of puzzle slotting together. Alpha has done all the staring in the car and restaurant, so now he just wants to touch and kiss and remember how this body feels under his hands again. They stay at the same place, Yukhei’s hand hold gently sides of Sicheng’s face as his tongue meets his and it’s sweet, a bit delirious, makes spark appear between them. Sicheng, who always thought about alpha, longed for his touch and kisses, feels that his body is going overdrive, burning up under a simple touch. He tries to get closer and smiles into the kiss, when Yukhei’s hand moves to his back, pushes him to his body. Alpha noses his jaw, stops at his neck and breathes in, peppering column of his neck with hot open mouthed kisses that makes beta’s toes curl. Sicheng’s hands get lost in Yukhei’s hair, he pulls just a little, but alpha grunts at that and Sicheng does it _again_ \- can’t help it, with Yukhei his a bit bratty side fully emerges. Alpha looks up, eyes much darker than they were before and in the next second Sicheng is on his bed, Yukhei hovering on top of him, but not touching him at all. Beta pouts, arches his back, tries to make contact with his body, but Yukhei only smirks and traces his chest lightly with fingers.

‘Yukhei,’ Sicheng calls, tries not to sound as desperate as he feels. ‘Come here.’

‘I am here,’ alpha replies and his hand stops on Sicheng’s stomach. ‘And I am touching you. What’s wrong?’

Sicheng bites his lower lip. He wants to scream ‘ _no, want you closer, skin to skin, lips on lips_ ’ but instead fully relaxes. Yukhei watches with hooded eyes as beta suddenly takes off his sweater, saying that he got hot. Alpha’s eyes get fixed on an endless amount of unblemished skin, so soft to the touch. He licks his lips and when he looks up, Sicheng has this _look_ in his eyes, the one that shows he knows exactly what he’s doing. Beta’s hand come up and ‘accidentally’ brush his nipples, to which Sicheng reacts with a soft sigh, arching his back a little. Yukhei can’t believe what he’s seeing and chuckles, shaking his head. Well, it was about time that Sicheng realized he has him wrapped around his finger.

‘Feeling playful, I see,’ Yukhei comments and Sicheng blushes at that, biting his lip. ‘What about Taeyong? If I start I won’t stop until you’re screaming my name and your friend said that walls are very thin. What we gonna do, hm?’

Sicheng shivers, all kind of images rush through his mind and he grabs Yukhei’s hand, stopping alpha from tracing his chest. He wants to say something, but then his boyfriend pinches his nipple and Sicheng grits his teeth in order not to let any sound out.

‘Will you be able to be quiet?’ Yukhei asks, leaning down a bit. ‘To not make a sound?’

They both know that answer is no. Sicheng is not exactly very loud, but he doesn’t hold back his noises when he gets lost in the pleasure. Yukhei smirks, leans in to capture those lips when loud knock to the door makes them jump away from each other.

‘Your scents are out of control and I _know_ what you two are about to do,’ Taeyong says from the other side. ‘I made waffles, so come out! And Sichengie, please check on soup, I’m not sure if I added enough salt.’

Sicheng hastily stands up and rushes to his friend, leaving alpha all alone in his room. Yukhei laughs quietly and stretches, getting his emotions under control quickly. They have all the time in the world, he reminds himself. He looks around and notices bunch of brochures at the bedside table. He reaches out to see what they’re about, expecting to see something about new plays on the theatre, but his eyes widen when he realizes what he’s holding in his hands. University brochures. To be more precise - brochures of four different universities with lists of their master programs. Weird, uncomfortable feeling settles inside Yukhei’s gut as he flips through the pages and sees highlighted with the marker texts, some stick-ons that make clear one thing - Sicheng read them, they didn’t appear inside his suitcase on accident. Most of the things highlighted were master programs on design and architecture, two years; Sicheng made notes of what’s needed for application, circled certain things that he found important. Yukhei clears his throat - uneasy feeling doesn’t disappear. His boyfriend never said a thing about wanting to get a master degree and especially didn’t share his thoughts on wanting to do this in China. Before Sicheng comes back Yukhei quickly puts brochures back on their place, deciding not to say a thing about it until Sicheng decides he wants to talk.

‘Yukhei, come out for waffles!’ Taeyong shouts from the kitchen.

Alpha takes one last look at the bedside table and goes to the kitchen, where Sicheng sits while Taeyong makes a beeline from the fridge and back to the table again and again. Once he notices Yukhei, omega smiles welcomingly and pats his shoulder.

‘Don’t worry, Jaehyun will be here soon.’ Taeyong says, motioning for him to go ahead and sit.

‘I would have been fine with just you two,’ alpha replies, smiling. ‘Waffles look amazing.’

‘Taste even better,’ Sicheng comments, smiling at his best friend, who preens under the praise.

Yukhei stares at Sicheng. He feels weirdly out of place, doesn’t know how to not talk about what he saw on the bedside table. He wants to shake the boy and shout at him _‘tell me your plans, are you really planning to leave?!_ ’, but he can’t and it kills him. Sicheng, feeling his gaze, looks up and smiles. He reaches out and covers Yukhei’s hand with his own, a simple gesture that is worth of thousand words. _Later,_ Yukhei thinks as he laces their fingers together. He suddenly remembers their first night together, when he kissed all the moles - _little stars_ \- on Sicheng’s back. Remembers what he wished for - _please, let this boy stay with me_. He smiles at his boyfriend and squeezes his hand a bit tighter. _Stay with me_ , he wishes. _Please_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic is coming to its end and WHEW 23 chapters!! i'll probably make it till 25
> 
> ah, it was supposed to be published yesterday but i got..sidetracked..with searching for wayvision with eng subs. i still haven't found it so if you do have it - please share a link! 
> 
> other than that i hope you enjoyed this chapter. thank you for bringing this much love to this story and these characters, your comments make me cry!! one girl wrote that my description of taeyong is exactly as she thinks he is and im just?? thank you??? this makes me so happy, thank you so much guys💜 i also wanted to learn your thoughts on the next fic that's going to be rather short and about kun/ten. what you thiiiiink?
> 
> love you, stay safe and healthy. take vitamins, please, this season is gonna be rough ;/


	24. we'll be fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we're getting there guys, it's almost the end! 
> 
> p.s. don't forget to check if you've read previous chapter first. ao3 is being funny and is not sending updates about new chapters :(

**April, 15**

‘I can’t say that I’m also super knowledgable, but I’ll try, no problem.’

Sicheng’s jaw almost drops, looking at Minghao. One year older than him, about to finish his first year of masters, fellow Chinese student was his only hope to pull through his plan. They weren’t exactly friends, it’s just there are not much Chinese students in their department in general and those who are know if not each other then about each other pretty well. Sicheng came up to him with zero hopes, but now he can’t believe his luck. Minghao, seeing his shocked face, chuckles and reaches out to ruffle his hair.

‘You thought I’d say no?’ He asks, smiling. ‘First year of masters is not that hard, I’m mostly busy on the work. I’ll send you my email, once you have everything ready just send it and I’ll try to come back to you quickly.’

Sicheng dumbly nods but then his mind catches up with the situation and he steps back, bowing few times. ‘Thank you!’

‘Cute.’ Minghao shakes his hand. ‘Well then, we’ll keep in touch.’

Sicheng stares at the retreating back of the older guy and leans on the wall. He can’t believe that best student of their department just agreed to help him for free. Do people even do something for free nowadays? Sicheng was ready to pay but Minghao refused, saying that he won’t do much work. Checking Sicheng’s probably incorrect translation of his project from Korean to Chinese did sound like ‘much work’ in beta’s mind, but Minghao still shook his head and said that he’ll do it for free, just to help. Sicheng quickly decides that when this whole thing will be over he’ll treat elder to a nice meal in a good place as his form of thanks. Beta clutches his backpack and rushes to cafeteria, where he knows Hendery and Xiaojun are waiting for him in their usual place. His heart beats fast due to excitement - now that he knows everything might work out, he’s thrilled. During his holidays in Beijing, Sicheng spent most of his time laying in the living room in the company of his grandparents. It was too cold to go out, so he gladly stayed in, wrapped in unconditional love and warmth. It was his grandad who popped this idea in his mind with his: ‘Are you planning to continue your studies?’. Sicheng thought about it, of course. He did think that continue on with master program would have been nice, but as for their department they can apply only after their projects will be graded and completed, he was going to look deeper in this topic only closer to summer. (‘ _We are old, Sicheng_ ,’ his grandad muttered. ‘ _You are our only grandchild and we don’t see you enough. Do you want to look for master programs here, in Beijing? You can live with us.’_ ) Sicheng at first started to search programs there just to appeal to an old man, but as more time passed, he progressively started to really like the idea. Main factor was that living with his grandparents was amazing. Atmosphere wasn’t toxic as it’s with his own parents, which is the biggest plus for Sicheng. Lately beta came to realization that he needs to break free from a never ending cycle of calling his parents-arguing-feeling bad-receiving toxic backlash. It tired him, especially when all Sicheng was trying to do is change his mindset around many things. He felt a dire need to mature in a different way, to become more responsible and have control over his life and decision. Being with his grandparents gave him a perfect opportunity to taste another life, another side of how it can be and he loved it. Beijing, as a city, wasn’t entirely his cup of tea, but he found good universities with strong master programs in design. He has a good chance of getting a scholarship there, too. And another important aspect was that his grandparents supported him in everything. (‘ _Didn’t you like to dance? Why don’t you continue?_ ’ His grandmother asked one evening. ‘Mom and dad don’t approve,’ Sicheng shrugged, trying to act like it isn’t a big deal. Even though it was, even when he told them about getting a second place, he didn’t hear a single positive thing and that left him empty inside. He hated this feeling, hated how he let his parents have this power over him. His grandmother, however, frowned and lightly tapped his hand, making him look up at her. ‘ _It’s important to do something you love,’ she said seriously. ‘You should continue your dance lessons, Sichengie. Do something for the heart, so your mind can stay sane.’_ ) Sicheng spent a lot of time analyzing, thinking, trying to get to the bottom of things. He thought about his desires, his goals; what is needed to accomplish them, what conditions are comfortable for him. And when he came back his head was clear, determination running through his veins, boosting his confidence. His grandparents quietly, but surely led him to the right path - path of accepting oneself with all of the negative sides, path on which he can stay confidently on his own feet. All these days he have been coddled, showered with compliments and love and he opened up under this, let himself be who he really is. He should try to go for a master program in Beijing - away from his parents, alone, so he can learn who he really is, become stronger. He didn’t share this with anyone yet - although decision has been made in January and it’s April now. Sicheng didn’t know how to say it to be honest, but he knew that hiding it any longer will not bring anything good.

‘Over here!’ Xiaojun waves to him from the corner and Sicheng runs in that direction, falling right into omega’s arms. Xiaojun hugs him and coos, looking him all over: ‘What got you so happy? You’re shining!’

‘I’ll tell when Hendery comes,’ Sicheng says, sitting. ‘Where is he?’

‘Grabbing food,’ Xiao replies and then sits closer, eyes twinkling with curiosity. ‘What is it? Tell me!’

Right at that time Hendery appears behind them. He kisses both of them on the foreheads and then sits down, balancing two large trays in hands. One is full of burgers and fries, while another has three tiramisu deserts on it. Sicheng groans at the sight of food - his stomach rumbles positively, reminding him that he didn’t eat at all today. Xiaojun immediately tells Hendery that Sicheng has some good news, promoting other guy to look up, eyebrows raised.

‘Really? What is it?’ Hendery asks, pushing his share of fries in Xiaojun’s direction.

Sicheng decides to say it in the most laidback manner as he can. He doesn’t want anyone to make a big deal out of this, because nothing has been done so far and he doesn’t want to be hyped up over nothing. What if it doesn’t work out in the end? He’ll feel awful for all friends wasting their support and energy on him.

‘I’m thinking about applying for few master programs in Beijing,’ he starts, glancing between two friends. ‘I need to translate my graduation project to Chinese and I met with Minghao today, he agreed to check my translation and help with anything. So…yeah.’ Hendery and Xiaojun look shocked and beta quickly adds, not wanting to confuse them: ‘But it’s just an idea, nothing is clear and I’m not going to go there unless I have some scholarship or stuff like that. So it’s nothing big-’

‘Nothing big?’ Hendery interrupts incredulously, while Xiaojun simultaneously screams: ‘Winwin!’

Sicheng bites his lower lip, not knowing what to make out of this reaction. ‘…Yes?’

‘How long have you been thinking about this?’ Xiaojun demands, looking very comical with smeared ketchup all over his lips. ‘Why you didn’t share? Winwinnie, it’s amazing!’

Relief floods beta’s veins and he relaxes, almost slumping on the table. Xiaojun hugs him from side, squeezes him in his arms and Sicheng laughs - this kind of reaction makes him happy. Hendery pushes Xiao away and then goes for a hug too, looking surprised but pleasantly so. Sicheng checks their facial expressions, sees if he can notice any traces of negative emotions but finds none - just pure happiness and excitement. Sincerity of his friends always left him speechless, but this time he feels it way stronger and it makes flowers blooms in his chest - he truly is blessed to have them.

‘Which universities? Are you gonna stay with your grandparents? Is it a two years masters or one year?’

They bombard him with questions, forgetting about food. Sicheng laughs, tries to answer as truthfully and in detail as he can, reminding both of them to eat. He feels warm, so warm thanks to their obvious enthusiasm over this idea. It’s the best feeling when you can see how supportive your friends are being, how they want you to succeed. Sicheng knows that Taeyong will react pretty much the same and he hopes that Yukhei too; something tells him that alpha may not take these news very well.

‘Wait, who else knows? I swear if we’re not the first ones..’ Xiaojun starts, pointing at Sicheng with a knife jokingly.

‘You’re the first ones of course!’ Sicheng assures him. ‘Even Yukhei doesn’t know.’

Xiaojun looks awfully smug after that, turning to Hendery and wiggling his eyebrows. After a little accident on the new year festival, Sicheng didn’t make any attempts to bring his friends and Yukhei together and that seemed to be the best decision since none of the parties were ecstatic about meeting each other. It did make him sad at first, but then he thought that not all of the pieces of his life must be connected; his friends doesn’t have to also be friends with his boyfriend and that’s okay. He wishes for a different route, of course, but he’s fine with having this. Xiaojun pokes his side, making beta come back from his thoughts to the real world. Omega suddenly looks sad and it’s like realization what a master program entails has finally dawned on him.

‘If everything works out..you’re going to leave..?’ He asks in a tentative tone, playing with the hem of his sweater. ‘In September?’

‘Probably even earlier,’ Sicheng says and tries to not make eye contact with his friend. ‘To learn everything and stuff.’

Silence settles on their table after that, one that is not uncomfortable, but is full of remorse and sad thoughts. Sicheng picks up shift in omega’s scent, it turns a bit bitter and before he can react, Hendery takes Xiaojun’s hand in his, giving it a squeeze. Beta starts pumping out more of his own calming scent, trying to appeal to his friend and it works - Xiaojun smiles a little.

‘It’s too far ahead, don’t think about it Junnie,’ Hendery says and then turns to Sicheng: ‘Don’t get us wrong, we are happy and excited for you.’

‘If this is what you want then I want the same for you,’ Xiaojun continues. ‘It’s just…sad that it’s not here, but in China.’

Sicheng nods, sitting closer to omega and wrapping him in a hug. He understands the feeling very well, even though he doesn’t feel full impact of it yet; Sicheng has no idea how his emotions will show up once it’ll get closer to the leaving date, if it will even get there at all. Beta has many doubts about this, but weirdly enough, deep inside he believes in his chance.

‘We need to make every minute count then,’ Hendery decides, nodding at them. ‘Starting from this moment we should hang out more!’

Xiaojun supports this idea fully and Sicheng also takes it with an enthusiasm. He gave up his part-time job to focus on the project now and most of his time is spent in his apartment, drawing and writing. Any free time that he has he’s either hanging out with Yukhei either honestly just rests. He knows he’s been neglecting his friends lately and Sicheng promises to get better. He spends some time with these two before rushing to the gates, where Yukhei’s waiting for him. Sicheng’s heart springs out of his chest at the mere thought about him - nothing really changed since they started dating. Yukhei as always greets him with a light kiss, tight hug and whispered: ‘Hey, pretty.’ Alpha smiles brightly and Sicheng smiles back, leaning in for one more kiss. Before he was hesitant about showing how much he needs affection, but after learning that Yukhei is more than happy to give him anything, he became more open.

‘They finished first block,’ alpha says when they get in. ‘And another group started working on facade, you’ll see now, I think it’ll look beautiful.’

‘Did they start planting trees?’ Sicheng asks, turning to the side so he can face Yukhei. ‘I also picked out few bushes that can fit their theme.’

At least once a month they visit construction site and Sicheng works closely with architects and designers, trying to bring as much ideas as possible on the table. Yukhei advised him to always be present, to make sure that everyone knows his name cause it’ll help in the future and although Sicheng is rather shy, he tried to follow alpha’s words as much as possible. It proved to be a good strategy - Sicheng’s contact list now has numbers of popular specialists, best ones on the market right now. The more he goes the more he learns; beta expands his knowledge each time.

‘Anything new? How is your project going?’ Yukhei asks, taking Sicheng’s hand in his.

Sicheng bites his lower lip, looking at the window. If he told Hendery and Sicheng then it’s only logical to let his boyfriend also know about his plans. But why is it so hard to do? Beta looks down at their interlaced fingers and takes a deep breath - Yukhei deserves the truth and he deserves to learn it one of the first ones.

‘I think about applying to master programs in Beijing,’ Sicheng lets out in a one go. ‘I chose few universities and I need to translate my current project to Mandarin for that. Minghao, student from my university, agreed to help me with that.’

It’s a lot to take, Sicheng is aware. He doesn’t know what he expected but Yukhei’s thoughtful hum and nod wasn’t it. Alpha doesn’t look too surprised or shocked - his face remains a passive mask. Sicheng doesn’t have to question this reaction because Yukhei truthfully says that he saw brochures on his bedside table.

‘I understood everything then, but since you didn’t mention a thing, I also decided not to pry.’

Sicheng blinks and closes his eyes as feelings overwhelm him. Dong Sicheng, after many months of dating Wong Yukhei, became used to the fact that his boyfriend is a walking and breathing definition of perfection in many ways. Sicheng stopped getting surprised at how considerate, caring and charismatic he is, he also came in terms with how his body reacted on alpha. But Yukhei time after time shows his mature side and sometimes Sicheng doesn’t know what to do with this. How alpha didn’t say a thing about master programs for _months_ is beyond Sicheng’s understanding. He knows very well that if tables were flipped, he’d ask about this in a heartbeat, otherwise thoughts about it would have eaten up his mind.

‘Sicheng? Baby?’ Yukhei calls and Sicheng turns, blinking rapidly. ‘Everything’s okay? You suddenly turned silent.’ Yukhei grips his boyfriend’s hand tighter in his and tries to concentrate on the road. ‘Are you mad that I looked at the brochures?’

Sicheng shakes his head. ‘If anything it’s you who should be mad that I didn’t tell a thing for such a long time.’

Yukhei purses his lips, not looking at beta. ‘I won’t lie and say that it was fine. But I wanted you to tell at your own time.’ He turns and smiles a little, but it looks forced: ‘And you finally told me now.’

There isn’t even a note of accusation in his tone but Sicheng feels uneasy. It’s almost like he lied, even though beta understands that this is not what happened. He watches alpha’s profile closely, noting million little things that point out a simple fact - Yukhei is not very happy. This doesn’t happen often or better, this doesn’t really happy at all - Yukhei is always happy with Sicheng, beta has yet to see alpha in a really bad mood. Yukhei has this superhuman ability to leave work behind once he exits the office, something that is very handy but extremely hard to do. When they finally stop on a traffic light Sicheng taps his thigh, making alpha look him in the eye.

‘What do you think? About my plan?’

Yukhei blinks and doesn’t say anything at first. That alone is a big indicator that alpha is not ecstatic about this idea; if he was, then Yukhei would have been smiling wide, laughing, assuring Sicheng that he can do anything and fulfill any plan or dream of his. But Yukhei doesn’t show any emotion and he obviously is trying to pick right words, which makes Sicheng very anxious.

‘Having a master degree is a good thing,’ Yukhei starts carefully, not looking at his boyfriend. ‘It looks good on the resume and, you know, it’s something-’

‘Yukhei,’ Sicheng interrupts, annoyed. ‘Tell me the truth.’

Alpha rises one eyebrow. ‘I am telling the truth.’

‘You know what I mean. Tell me what you really think.’

Yukhei sighs. They have come to the construction sit and he parks his car a bit further away from it, turning engine off and turning to Sicheng. ‘The truth? Okay, I have two truths. As your friend I think it’s great that you want to apply for masters. I sincerely hope that everything works out and in Beijing you will grow in all ways. But as your boyfriend? I hate the idea of you leaving for two years. For me and Jaehyun this and next year are most important, cause we’re trying to make it higher, get closer to the board of directors. I can’t just- I can’t just leave it all behind and come with you, you know?’

Sicheng opens his mouth and then closes it again, dumbfounded. ‘I’m not asking you to come with me.’

Beta have never even entertained the thought of alpha also coming with him. In Sicheng’s head whole thing about master program was that he’s going to do it alone. Surrounded by strangers in an unfamiliar city - alone. He thought of it as of the only way to grow and change and he’d hate to make people he love leave because of him. Confused and in loss of words, Sicheng just stares at Yukhei, who has this unreadable expression on his face that makes beta anxious.

‘You’re not asking me to come with you,’ alpha clarifies and Sicheng has a distinct feeling that Yukhei is getting angry.

‘I wouldn’t ask that from you, you have job here and your family and everything,’ beta quickly says, stumbling over words. ‘I’d never ask you to leave all of this behind for me. It’s not fair, even if I get accepted there, it’s only for two years and…’ Sicheng bites his tongue. ‘I thought we could…work it…out?’

Long-distance relationship, as a concept, seemed to be not very complicated for Sicheng. He knows that feelings might change and he might meet other people who will capture his attention, but Sicheng also knows that Yukhei graved himself into his heart for good. Beta doesn’t want to make any promises, but he knows that from his side there are no doubts. And it’s not like he doubts Yukhei - he mostly just has reservations about him not being good enough and Yukhei finally realizing it one day. ‘Sicheng,’ Yukhei calls and beta rises his head, looking up.

‘You don’t want me there, don’t you? You just don’t want me going there with you.’

Yukhei doesn’t hide his emotions and it’s easy to see that alpha is, at least, offended. Sicheng quickly turns fully to him and grabs his hands, interlacing their fingers. ‘It’s not about me not wanting you with me, it’s about me wanting to do it on my own, alone.’

Sicheng sees that Yukhei struggles with this idea, doesn’t fully understand it, not nearly enough to fully comprehend what Sicheng means. ‘ _Why?’_ Yukhei asks eventually, sounding strained. ‘Why alone?’

‘Cause I want to grow,’ Sicheng answers and cringes at how cliche that sounded. ‘I need to do it alone, without anyone there to back me up. Didn’t you say yourself that I should become more mature?’ Yukhei opens his mouth to retaliate but Sicheng shushes him, squeezing his fingers: ‘I will come back being more mature.’ _For you. I will be more mature, more worthy of you. I want to stand on the same ground as you are._ Sicheng gulps and adds hesitantly: ‘If by that time you’ll still have me, of course.’

Yukhei stares at him for a long time. Just stares, eyes raking over his expression, taking in every detail. Alpha looks in a deep thought and Sicheng would give anything to know what exactly he’s thinking about. If he had superpowers then he would have known that many doubts were swirling in Yukhei’s mind, breaking his confidence into million little pieces. Yukhei, primarily, didn’t trust himself. He’s a very affectionate person - love for him is to be able to touch and kiss and be next to the person and show them what they mean, how he feels towards them. Long distance scares him and not about Sicheng; no, alpha is sure in his boyfriend. But Yukhei knows himself very well and can already predict huge amount of frustration that will come up with this arrangement. He can vividly see them arguing in his head and it’s horrible; Yukhei knows he’ll most likely will get fed up and make some drastic decision that he will regret then. Yukhei doesn’t know how long distance relationship will go, but… Alpha chuckles. All of his first times in relationships - all with Sicheng.

‘I see,’ Yukhei says eventually and looks at his boyfriend. Sicheng looks like he’s on a trial and about to hear rest of his fate - terrified and resigned at the same time. Yukhei brings their joined hands to his lips, gently kissing his knuckles. ‘Alright then. In perspective two years are not that much.’ Yukhei then clears his throat and opens door: ‘Let’s check construction site, hm?’

Sicheng needs five seconds to come back to himself and also get out of the car. They don’t talk much after that and there is something weird in the air between them. Sicheng’s mood threatens to drop to the pits, when alpha hugs him from behind and presses butterfly like kisses on his neck.

‘We’ll be fine, baby boy,’ Yukhei says in a deep voice, pulling his boyfriend close. ‘Don’t think about it now, okay? We’ll get there when time comes.’

Sicheng nods and hastily turns in alpha’s arms, burying his nose in his neck. Yukhei caresses his back and Sicheng breathes in, calming himself. He has this tendency to overthink, to brew negative thoughts inside and expect the worst. He’s trying to not let it happen when it comes to Yukhei though; Sicheng learns to trust.

‘Most people say ‘we’ll be fine’ as an empty platitude,’ Yukhei says, looking down at beta. ‘But I don’t mean it that way. You know it, right?’

Sicheng nods, smiling. When alpha says that they’ll be fine, he feels it deep inside of him that everything really will be fine. ‘I know.’

Yukhei leans in and gently kisses him. ‘Just don’t shut me out and we’ll get through this too.’ Yukhei then turns Sicheng around and points at the new trees. ‘And look! Just like you wanted!’

Sicheng laughs at the sight of trees. Something is tugging at his heart, but he chooses to ignore it. In the end, he might not get accepted at all and these worries will go to waste. He reminds himself to live in the present, live right now - future is uncertain and worrying about it won’t help anything anyway. But right now he’s on this construction site, Yukhei holds his hand tightly and looks at him with all of the unsaid words that Sicheng is yet to hear and - he’s happy. And that’s enough for now.

**May, 21**

Jaehyun sighs. He straightens invisible creases on his jacket and looks at himself critically in the reflection. Logically he knows that everything is okay with his appearance but nerves win over and he double checks his reflection. Tailored suit fits him perfectly, but he still tugs at the end of the jacket, biting his lower lip. God, if there’s so much as of a stain on a material Seulgi will bite his head off. Jung hears shuffling and then doors open, revealing frowning Taeyong. His mate struggles with a bowtie, muttering something under his breath about complicated constructions. Jaehyun knows he should come up to help, but he’s in awe of how jaw-dropping Taeyong looks. Lee always manages to take Jaehyun’s breath away when he’s dressed up - something about Taeyong’s talent to accentuate all of his features and body lines in any clothes. Taeyong looks exceptionally good in suites, but this time he’d outdone himself. Baby blue suit with a white shirt underneath and pretty bowtie; he settled for a fashionable cut that makes his jacket a bit shorter than it usually is and pants just a tad on a skinny side than simple straight ones. Along with his silver hair - freshly colored - he looks like someone out of the anime comics which Jaehyun liked to read when he was in school.

‘How do you make it even?’ Taeyong asks exasperatedly, turning to his mate. ‘I give up.’

‘You can always just not wear a bowtie,’ Jaehyun says, coming closer to help. He inspects silky thing and tries to put bow right in the middle.

‘And have Seulgi skin me alive? No, thank you,’ omega huffs and stands still while Jaehyun’s working. His eyes rake over alpha’s face and he breathes in, immediately cringing: ‘Did you use scent blockers?’

Jaehyun nods and steps back, checking if bowtie sits in the middle and not somewhere on the sides. ‘Upon Seulgi’s request all alphas are wearing blockers tonight.’

Taeyong wrinkles his nose in distaste but then looks up at Jaehyun and smiles smugly. ‘I still can decipher your scent, though. Even through scent blockers.’

Alpha smiles and prompts Taeyong to look in the mirror, so he can check how Jaehyun fixed the bowtie. Jung stands behind, admiring omega quietly. Taeyong’s words make him weirdly content - yet another sign of them being destined mates. After so much time together Jaehyun has a feeling that Taeyong’s scent is etched in his brain, because he always feels it wrapped around him. His arms come up to circle around slimmer man’s waist on their own. Taeyong smiles and leans on him, their eyes connect in the mirror. Omega interlaces their fingers on his stomach and winks at Jaehyun.

‘Can’t take your eyes off me?’ He asks teasingly, licking his lower lip in a way that he knows makes Jaehyun want to kiss him.

‘I always have my eyes on you,’ alpha replies easily. Taeyong’s smile turns from teasing one to soft and Jaehyun pecks his cheek. ‘But tonight try to not shine so bright, it’s Seulgi’s day after all.’

Taeyong colors, pushing Jaehyun and muttering that he exaggerates. They both walk out of the special room and part ways - Taeyong goes to greet upcoming guests, while Jaehyun turns to the left and knocks on Seulgi’s door. Yukhei is the one who opens it, inviting Jaehyun in.

‘Try not to cry,’ Yukhei says, smirking. Jaehyun raises one eyebrow questioningly, but his friend just pats his shoulder. ‘You’ll understand now. Seulgi, Jaehyun came!’

Of course Jaehyun understood that on her own wedding Seulgi will be wearing a wedding dress. However, when his friend walks out in a gorgeous white jumpsuit with a long veil Jaehyun feels tears prickling in his eyes. Seulgi is absolutely stunning, she glows with happiness, looks like a queen and Jaehyun’s throat tightens with emotions. He vaguely registers Yukhei’s hand gripping his shoulder, but he can’t form a word. Seulgi looks sophisticated in a sleek white jumpsuit with an open back. She twirls in front of Jaehyun, almost trips on her long veil and laughs out loud when Yukhei grabs her and prevents from falling.

‘Pretty?’ She asks, looking at Jaehyun. She then notices his expression and sighs, fond smile on her face. ‘Not you too, Yukhei has already shed enough tears for both of us.’

Jaehyun chuckles and starts coughing, pushing lump in his throat as far as possible. He never expected of himself to get that emotional, but while he looked at Seulgi he suddenly remembered everything: starting from how they met to all of the their moments together. Emotions whirl in his heart and he reaches out, silently asking girl to come into his arms. Seulgi goes willingly and Jaehyun notes unshed tears in her eyes, making him chuckle and grip her tighter. They hug and alpha buries his nose in her hair, heart tightening of the fact that he doesn’t smell a thing, can’t tell what her scent is, is unable to keep it in his memory. Seulgi sniffles and pushes back, hitting his chest lightly.

‘If I’m gonna ruin my makeup I’ll kill both of you,’ she threatens, carefully wiping away her tears. ‘Good? Or did I smudge everything?’

‘All in place,’ Yukhei confirms, seeing that Jaehyun still can’t manage to form words. ‘You are stunning, our baby bear.’

Seulgi smiles, affection laces her scent and she hugs them both. She then steps back to admire her best friends and nods in approval. ‘And look at you two! Thanks to my exquisite taste you look great!’

Yukhei rolls his eyes and pushes Jaehyun, silently requesting him to finally unfreeze and get his head back into reality. Jaehyun blinks and clears his throat, feeling like his heart is about to burst from his chest. It’s a bit surreal; for some reason he never thought that out of three of them Seulgi will be the first to get married. He good-naturedly flicks her forehead, smiling at her groan.

‘You are the prettiest,’ he says eventually and watches as beautiful smile appears on her face. ‘Are we staying with you for now or should we go to the guests?’

‘Go to the guests please,’ she mutters and pushes him and Yukhei to the door. ‘You two are making me sentimental and nervous. Yukhei, bring my dad here at seven!’

Wong salutes and they go back to the hall, where most of the guests are staring at pictures of Seulgi and Chungha together. Hosted in a secluded villa outside of Seoul, Seulgi and Chungha invited only closest people and decided to make everything very cozy instead of something flashy. Ballroom was small in comparison to what most of the people usually picture in their heads at the word ‘ballroom’, but it was just enough to fit all of the guests without becoming suffocating. Nothing shiny flashy in the decorum, everything is done in neutral white and light blue colors, very easy on the eyes. Jung comes closer to check pretty serving, baby blue ribbons wrapped around each chair, crafted letters on each plates with handmade candles. It’s obvious how much thought has been put into this and every guest notices, whispers how beautiful everything looks. Jaehyun looks around and freezes, when he sees Taeyong next to his parents. His mate tells some story, his parents look fondly amused. Since he introduced Taeyong to them as his mate, his parents (especially his mother) took a keen interest in him; Taeyong captured her heart just like he did Jaehyun’s. Their first meeting happened two months ago and since that time all his mother could talk with him is Taeyong. Jaehyun is both worried and happy because of this: worried cause knowing his mother - she will start pressuring him about his own wedding very soon and happy that she liked Taeyong that much. His mother lightly pats Taeyong’s arm and goes for a hug right when Jaehyun appears, effectively blocking physical affection, afraid that it might be too much for his mate.

‘Mom,’ Jaehyun greets and kisses her cheeks. He hugs his dad, noting how both of them look really happy. ‘Your seats are on the first table, right next to Seulgi’s parents.’ His dad quickly takes the clue that it’s their time to leave and he gently takes his ex-wife by the elbow, leading her to their table. Jaehyun waits till they are out of hearing distance and only then turns to Taeyong, smiling apologetically: ‘Sorry, hope they didn’t make you uncomfortable.’

‘Of course not,’ Taeyong shakes his head and chuckles. ‘Your mom is really nice.’

Jaehyun hums noncommittally and cringes, when Taeyong slaps his shoulder. ‘What?’

‘You’re thinking too much into this,’ his mate says and in a gesture that has already became so usual for them, presses his finger on Jaehyun’s forehead. ‘Relax. Any other guy would have been over the moon that their mate gets along with his parents.’

Jung sighs and pushes Taeyong closer to him, hands settling on the hips. ‘My mom is now on the wedding and then she sees you and I’m pretty sure that for the next two months all I will hear about is how we should get married.’

They have actually talked about it. On one of the numerous dinners that they had with Yukhei and Sicheng, all of them shared their outlooks on marriage. Jaehyun and Sicheng ended up being the conservative ones, who give marriage a lot of importance, but Yukhei and Taeyong thought a bit differently. They weren’t exactly on a complete opposite spectrum, but Yukhei and Taeyong found marriage as… kind of unnecessary hustle. It was all about bureaucracy for them and that’s why Jaehyun didn’t want his mother to get carried away - pressuring Taeyong is definitely not what he wants to do. Alpha did feel slight disappointment when he learned opinion of his mate, but Taeyong didn’t oppose to idea of marrying, he rather just didn’t see need it - ‘ _rings on the fingers won’t suddenly make anything better_ ’ - however, his mate was very particular about mating bites. Jaehyun still shivers when he remembers how one night Taeyong turned to him and in all seriousness said that the best thing that Jaehyun can give him is a bite mark. ‘ _Only when we both are ready,_ ’ he quickly added, blushing. ‘ _But in the future, if we’ll be still together, I’d definitely like to get your bite mark._ ’ Jaehyun at that time promptly proceeded to hyperventilate and then knotted Taeyong repeatedly.

‘What are you thinking about?’ Taeyong asks, smirking. ‘Your scent spiked up with arousal.’

Jaehyun clears throat, thankful that he’s on scent blockers today. Taeyong has this shit-eating grin on his face and well, two can play this game. ‘Nothing much. Just remembered how I knotted you last time.’

Taeyong’s eyes widen, pictures of that time rush through his mind and then he hisses, trying to elbow Jaehyun in the ribs. ‘Asshole. You know that I’m not on blockers.’

Jaehyun chuckles and kisses his head placatingly. ‘You started it.’ He then turns to his omega and gets serious: ‘Taeyong, if my mom starts anything about wedding..’

‘Don’t worry,’ Taeyong interrupts him, squeezing his hand. ‘I’ll handle it.’

Alpha nods. ‘No pressure, okay? No pressure at all, baby.’

Taeyong smiles gratefully. ‘I know.’

They stare at each other, ignoring buzz from all other people and them passing here and there. Taeyong leans in and Jaehyun easily meets him halfway in a gentle kiss that speaks of all of the feelings. When Taeyong leans back, stars are shining in his eyes so bright that Jaehyun’s breath stutters - he still can’t believe that he’s the one responsible for this. Lee pecks him one last time before rushing to help other guests find their seat. Jaehyun turns and catches sight of Yukhei and Sicheng, quietly conversing. Jung is aware that some mishap happened between these two, but they gladly got over it quickly. Yukhei catches his gaze and Jaehyun nods towards the hall to which Wong replies with a nod. Jaehyun’s mission on this wedding is to make sure that everything goes according to the plan, while Yukhei has to make sure that Seulgi doesn’t run off somewhere.

‘You think she’s going crazy there?’ Yukhei asks, pointing to where Seulgi’s room is.

‘I think if we don’t start now and put Chungha in her room then she’ll definitely start crushing everything.’ Jaehyun looks around. ‘Where the hell is Chungha?!’

‘I’ll check outside, but you go on with that musical band, guests are starting to look bored.’

Putting on his best smile, Jaehyun walks to the center and grabs a mic - it’s easy for him to the center of attention, to act as a host in some situations. He introduces band, interacts a bit with the guests and sighs in relief when he notices Yukhei and Chungha rushing behind all guests. Everyone claps and while band starts playing, Jung runs to the kitchen and checks all meals with chefs and waiters, gives them a green sign to start filling tables with not just appetizers. It’s nerve-wrecking - Jaehyun is usually very responsible and feels certain pressure when he’s hosting something, but now it’s ten times worse as it’s Seulgi and he can’t fuck up. Alpha then checks if ‘love story’ video about Seulgi and Chungha is ready to be shown with operators and goes to control lightning. Band performs two songs and Jaehyun springs to the center, says that right now he wants everyone’s attention on the screen and then disappears into the kitchen, controlling process of distributing meals on the table. When he walks out, he sees Taeyong gesturing him to come over and when he does omega hands him small plate full of bruschetta.

‘Breathe and eat, please,’ Taeyong says sternly. ‘Everything is going well, don’t worry.’

Jaehyun tries to smile, but nerves are eating him up alive. God, he hopes everything is up to Seulgi’s standards, he better die than disappoint her. He eats but food is tasteless - his mind is fully occupied with what he needs to do next and time management.

‘Jaehyun!’ Taeyong grabs his collar and makes him look down. ‘If you don’t slow down and get out of your head I swear I will do something bad.’ Jaehyun blinks at this and Taeyong sighs, grabbing alpha by the neck and bringing him closer to his face. ‘Baby, it’s all good. Everything’s fine. If you don’t eat you’ll collapse there right in front of all the guests and then Seulgi _will_ skin you alive.’

Alpha doesn’t have to answer because Taeyong shuts him up with a forceful kiss. Jaehyun can admit that he likes when his mate gets like that - he usually is turned on by Taeyong’s bratty side, but when he just grabs reigns to his hands it’s just something else entirely. They leans back from each other and Taeyong caresses his face before pecking his lips shortly.

‘You look really good up there,’ he whispers, licking his lips.

Jaehyun rises his eyebrow, smirking. ‘I know, I can feel everyone’s eyes on me.’

Taeyong narrows his eyes at this. Most of the guests on the weddings, the ones who are younger, are all omegas - friends of Chungha and Seulgi. Jaehyun definitely noticed how girls tried to get his attention, but the funniest thing in this was Taeyong’s reaction to it. For the first time tables have turned and it’s not Jaehyun who’s seething from jealousy. Taeyong tightens his grip on alpha’s neck and are bares his teeth.

‘I’m not above using physical force if one of them latches on you,’ he hisses.

Jaehyun smashes their lips together, enjoying the desperate way Taeyong clings to him, ruffling his hair. Image of Taeyong fighting someone for him is incredibly hot. ‘You’re too cute in your jealousy,’ alpha whispers and Taeyong tries to kick him but Jaehyun blocks him, pushing omega on the wall.

‘I’m gonna cut your balls, Jaehyun, don’t play with me,’ Taeyong mutters, disgruntled. He quickly subdues though and licks hesitantly into alpha’s mouth, blinking at him. ‘Mine?’

‘Only yours,’ Jaehyun promises, gently kissing his mate. He nuzzles at his cheek and smiles at Taeyong’s content sigh. ‘My pretty omega.’ Taeyong purrs, arching his back and plastering himself on alpha. ‘No, I need to go to the kitchen.’ He smiles when omega pouts adorably. ‘At home, baby. I love you.’

Taeyong’s face lights up at that, expression bright. ‘I love you too.’ He pecks him one last time. ‘Give me the plate back. Okay, now go and don’t worry, everything is great!’

Jaehyun honestly tries to do the ‘not worrying’ part. He mostly fails but everything falls into place when Seulgi exits with Chungha to the guests. They both look so beautiful, so happy and so in love that Jaehyun for a second forgets about need to control and check everything. He feels tears in the corner of his eyes and laughs, when Yukhei comes to stand next to him, wiping few tears also. Seulgi and Chungha read each other letters as vows and it’s pure and sentimental, makes Jaehyun think of getting married too. He claps along with everyone when brides kiss and turns, giving a signal to the kitchen that it’s time for the cake.

‘Was everything okay?’ He asks his best friend, watching as Chungha cuts first piece of the cake.

‘Seulgi almost tore my suit in pieces during her little breakdown but other than that everything’s fine,’ Yukhei answers, also watching couple from afar. ‘She calmed down only when Chungha came. It’s incredible, really, I’ve never seen Seulgi turn from raging dragon to putty marshmallow in seconds.’

‘Don’t let her hear this,’ Jaehyun mutters and they both chuckle. ‘How’s with Sicheng, though. All good?’

Yukhei turns to look at his boyfriend, who stands in the crowd along with everyone, snapping pictures of the brides. They both were a bit hesitant after that talk in the car, but Yukhei picked them up right where they left off. His mind supplies him with images of last night, when his pretty boy was sprawled on the sheets, reaching for Yukhei and moaning in a loud voice. (‘ _Closer,_ ’ Sicheng whispered, when they changed position. ‘ _Yukhei, want you clos-_ ’ and he didn’t have to finish, cause Yukhei was already turning, entering beta smoothly in one stroke and then leaning in, almost laying on top of him. He moved slowly, staring into beta’s eyes and catching his own reflection in them. Yukhei bared his neck and Yukhei left his own mark, lapping at it along with quickening his pace. ‘ _Kiss me,_ ’ Sicheng whispered and Yukhei chuckled. ‘ _Demanding_ ,’ he commented but went for a kiss anyway, because he can never say no this.) After realizing that he may not have it for quite some time, Yukhei turned anxious, wanting to have Sicheng in his arms always, all the free time. Wanting to compensate for the times they’re going to lose already. Sicheng felt it, of course, but didn’t say anything.

‘All good,’ Yukhei confirms. ‘We’ll see, though. For now it’s good.’

Jaehyun nods and wants to say something else when suddenly Seulgi calls both of them for a group photo. It’s hectic after that - everyone’s dancing, hugging, shouting and crying. Jaehyun keeps close to Seulgi, makes sure no one steps on her veil or eats her piece of cake. Yukhei keeps a watchful eye on a group of drunk guys in case they decide that it’d be funny to start a fight. Taeyong appears somewhere in the middle, smiles at Jaehyun and takes alpha by the hand to dance, shouting that he needs to loosen up a little. Jaehyun indulges his mate, dances with him like his parents aren’t around. He turns when someone nudges his shoulder and smiles at beautiful bride, who shows off her killer dance moves making everyone whistle. At the other side Jaehyun sees Yukhei dancing with Sicheng, both obviously trying to outdo each other with dorky moves. Taeyong is in front of him, smiling wide and very, very happy. Jaehyun looks around, notices how he’s in an improvised circle of the closest and most important people to him and realizes that this is it, that precious happiness everyone’s looking for. He looks at Taeyong and he doesn’t have to these words out loud, because omega’s eyes are screaming ‘I love you’ at him and Jaehyun knows that he can read in his eyes the same.

‘I love you.’ He still says it out loud, just because he can, because it feels amazing to do so.

Taeyong’s expression softens and he steps closer, wrapping arms around him. ‘Love you too.’

‘Kiss, kiss!’

Jaehyun knows that it’s meant for Seulgi and Chungha but he also leans in, kissing Taeyong with everything he has. Everyone claps, whistles and it’s euphoric. When Jaehyun leans back, Taeyong has this starstruck look in his eyes, looking at alpha like he’s someone from his dreams. He hopes it is like that, because he definitely dreamed of Taeyong.

‘You look like you’re completely and utterly in love with me,’ Taeyong comments smugly.

Jaehyun chuckles. ‘I am.’

‘Good. Cause I am too.’ Omega nods solemnly. 

Slow song starts playing and Jaehyun immediately pulls Taeyong close. Happiness bubbles in his throat and he wants to scream to let it out. He sways with Taeyong to the music, notices his parents watching them with smiles on their faces. With the corner of the eye he sees Yukhei and Sicheng kissing on the dance floor, just like Seulgi and Chungha. Everyone walks out to a beautiful garden, where fireworks are already ready, waiting for all people to come out. Jaehyun thinks that if he'd had a sense of smell then he would have said that Seoul smells like happiness. Like love. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyy we're on a finish line babes! 
> 
> give it up for seulgi and chungha! <3 idk i always wanted to write some wedding and here it is :D how did you like it?
> 
> next chapter is going to be the last one, we're wrapping this huge baby up. how are you though, how's october? it was snowing in my city yesterday, i almost had a heart attack, i HATE cold weather :( 
> 
> love youuu, please stay warm, safe and healthy. <3


	25. FINAL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aaand we're here. final chapter. enjoy! <3

**June, 28**

Taeyong feels it in his bones. He swear he literally feels Jaehyun’s gaze on him, burning holes in his back, almost daring him to turn. It’s hard to resist; Taeyong has to use all of his willpower to not turn and see how exactly Jaehyun is looking at him. He wants to see that fire in alpha’s eyes, but instead he smiles wider to this young man in front of him whose name omega doesn’t even remember. He’s a head of some department in a company that decided to become their clients and Johnny asked Taeyong to come to this dinner/after-party and make connections. In Taeyong’s mind he pictured a simple dinner in a small circle and that couldn’t be further from reality; there were at least fifty people in the restaurant, all business-partners from different firms and scale of the event was way too high for Taeyong to be here. Another thing that surprised him was Jaehyun’s presence - alpha did mention that tonight he’ll have to attend some after-party to mingle with some people, but Taeyong never thought that they’re going to end up on the same event. Lee will first kill Johnny for not giving him a full information and then will probably have to kill this young man, who’s staring at him like he wants to have Taeyong under him right now. Which is, in all honesty, disgusting. Taeyong knows very well how important this guy is - god what was his name again? - but he just can’t seem to somehow move conversation towards business instead of personal matters. When he came in, he saw Jaehyun and his alpha saw him also; he looked surprised, but they both nodded at each other - mutual silent agreement to now show that they’re connected, it’s a business event after all. But now Taeyong regrets this decision, because this man and his advances become crystal clear and that wouldn’t have happened if Jaehyun and Taeyong would have shown from the beginning that they are together. Now Taeyong has to tolerate not so subtle flirtation and try to find ways of turning conversation around.

‘Taeyong, I think we can take this elsewhere,’ man says, smiling. ‘It’s too loud here, don’t you think so?’

Taeyong has a hard time catching up when exactly he gave permission to call him ‘Taeyong’ instead of ‘Mr.Lee’ and then he’s thinking if he ever gave any sign that he might be interested in a suggestion of this sort. His brain tries to come up with the most polite ways to reject or with an excuse that won’t sound horribly fake when he feels it. Jaehyun’s scent growing stronger, meaning alpha is either coming close right to them or in generally moved closer to Taeyong.

‘I think…’ Taeyong starts and then dares to quickly look around. His eyes immediately find his alpha, who’s standing five steps away from them, quietly conversing with another man. Taeyong, despite knowing that this will attract attention, still calls him over rather loudly: ‘Jaehyun!’

Jaehyun’s eyes snap at him instantly and it takes him two seconds before he’s coming to Taeyong with purposeful strides, arm immediately setting on omega’s waist. Taeyong called him by his name instead of ‘Mr.Jung’ on purpose - it’s a small signal that he needs alpha to interfere and that it’s okay to let everyone know that they’re together. Jaehyun jumps on this opportunity readily, pulling his mate closer to his side, making omega sigh discreetly in relief.

‘I don’t think we’ve met,’ Jaehyun says, handing his hand to the man in front of him. ‘Jung Jaehyun, National sales manager in SC.’

‘Kim Heechul, Topline financial controller in A&P.’ Heechul’s eyes stay on Jaehyun’s arm around Taeyong’s waist. ‘Nice to meet you.’

‘I see you’ve met Mr.Lee,’ Jaehyun says and smiles at Taeyong. ‘Have you gotten anywhere with your discussions? Taeyong did a great presentation of what their company can offer to yours, I’m sure.’

Jaehyun didn’t show any negative emotions, but tone of his voice made it clear that he is not pleased. His scent, usually controlled and barely there, now became more potent. Heechul is far from stupid and he takes a step back, hands behind his back. He makes vague comments as he can’t say anything clear - they didn’t discuss a thing anyway. Jaehyun sees through the load of bullshit, narrows his eyes and his grip on Taeyong’s waist tightens.

‘Well, I believe what you didn’t manage to discuss tonight, you’ll be able to do so once you actually start working.’ Jaehyun smiles but it lacks any friendliness. ‘I can vouch for their company, you shouldn’t have to worry about their professionalism even if they’re new on the field.’

Taeyong tries to hide his smile but doesn’t really succeed at it. Heechul nods, politely wraps up the talk and salutes Taeyong, bowing a little. Once they’re left alone, Taeyong hesitantly looks up, checking alpha’s face. Jaehyun looks down and tries to smile, but it’s a tightlipped one.

‘Was he bothering you for long?’ He asks quietly, mindful of many people here.

‘I called you after he suggested to go somewhere else,’ Taeyong honestly answers. ‘Tried to sway him to talk about business, but he was very adamant in his flirting with me.’ Omega sees how his mate immediately frowns at that and tries to change the theme: ‘I will probably go home now. Will you stay for long?’

‘I’m going home with you.’ Jaehyun says and it leaves no room for argument.

Taeyong waits for his mate to bid his goodbyes to everyone. He feels weird, knows that something is going to come up out of this little incident. Jaehyun acts normally, but his scent gives everything away - it’s acid, too strong for Taeyong to breathe comfortably in a closed space of the car. He doesn’t dare to voice his thoughts, cause fighting with Jaehyun is the last thing he wants to do now. Alpha suddenly turns and Taeyong realizes that they’re going not to his apartment in the center, but to the house of his grandparents.

‘Jaehyun..’ He calls uncertainly. ‘Why are we-’

‘Do you mind?’ Alpha asks through gritted teeth, not looking at him.

‘No,’ Taeyong answers. It doesn’t really matter to him where to be. ‘Just surprised.’

Rest of the drive omega tries not to fidget, to guess alpha’s mood. Jaehyun can rarely be seen like that and Taeyong learned his limits, knows where he needs to stop in order not to push Jaehyun over the edge when eh acts bratty, but this is different. Something is simmering deep inside, ready to burst on the surface. Like a time bomb - ready to blow out when last second ticks away. Jaehyun doesn’t show any signs of anger but once they step out and go to the house, Taeyong winces at the tightest grip on his wrist - it’s going to bruise, no doubts. Alpha leads him to the bedroom, closes door loudly and only then lets go of Taeyong’s wrist, making omega wince.

‘I don’t understand why you’re mad,’ Lee mutters. He knows that right now it’s better not to talk, but he can’t help it - this tense silence is killing him. ‘I’ve done nothing to somehow provoke-’

‘I’m not mad at you,’ Jaehyun cuts him off, pinching his nose bridge with a pained expression. ‘I know that you didn’t want any of his attention.’

Something akin to relief settles inside Taeyong. He likes to rile his alpha up, push his buttons by mentioning other guys from the past, but he never would actually go and flirt with someone in front of Jaehyun just to tease him, just for the fun or some game. Omega feared that maybe this is what his mate thought, that he did everything on purpose to get a rise from him and he’s relieved to learn that Jaehyun knows him well enough to be sure that he’ll never do something like that. Taeyong takes a tentative step closer, grabbing Jaehyun’s hands in his. If this is not it then what’s the matter?

‘Why are you mad then?’ He asks, soothingly caressing his skin with thumbs. ‘If not at me then-’

Alpha’s next action is so sudden that Taeyong barely has time to react. He lets out a surprised gasp when Jaehyun quickly turns them around, pining Taeyong to the wall. They’re close, alpha’s body covering his and all omega can do is blink owlishly at the sudden change. He almost opens his mouth to ask what the hell, but Jaehyun’s gaze stops him. Alpha’s eyes are trained on his face, tense and closed off, unable for Taeyong to read.

‘I’m mad,’ Jaehyun starts, caging Taeyong with his hands on each side of his head, ‘I’m mad, baby, because I saw the way he looked at you. Like he thought that he could have you. All because…’ Jaehyun’s eyes drift lower to Taeyong’s skin. His hand drops to omega’s shoulder and goes up, his thumb caressing place where Taeyong’s scent glands are. ‘All because he thought that you’re not taken. Because you’re not marked.’

Taeyong’s scared to breathe. In the silent room he’s sure Jaehyun can hear his erratic heartbeat, his thrumming pulse. He doesn’t dare to move, shivers when alpha applies a bit more pressure on his scent glands. He senses determination and something dark lurking in Jaehyun, something that wasn’t shown to Taeyong at all and it’s his first time experiencing it. His mate looks at the place where usually mating marks are given and Taeyong bites his tongue in order not to whimper. He doesn’t let himself get ahead, doesn’t want to get his hopes up but god it’s hard not to do so, when Jaehyun’s staring like he’s finally going to fully claim Taeyong as his. And Taeyong can’t help but get excited at this prospect because that’s all he wants, wanted for a long time now - to have Jaehyun’s mark on him. It gives certain security cause no one approaches mated omegas, but that’s not exactly why Taeyong wants it, although he can easily admit that this point is also very important. He wants this mark because it’s the equivalent of marriage for him, just a more meaningful one. Marriage is on the papers, but mark is on his skin, on him, where he can feel it and touch it and remind himself every day that he and Jaehyun are serious about each other, that this is for good, for forever. And Taeyong long ago have decided that ‘forever’ can be used in the same sentence only with Jaehyun for him. Alpha looks him in the eyes and Taeyong knows he can read him like an open book, knows that he can see everything in Taeyong’s expression.

‘You want it?’ Jaehyun rasps, finger trailing lightly on omega’s neck. ‘My mark? On you?’

Taeyong swallows. ‘You know that I do.’ He licks his lips, trying to sound sure: ‘It’s you who’s holding back.’

That’s true. Taeyong raised this topic month ago, seriously saying that he’s ready for the mark. Jaehyun shook his head at that time, saying that he better think twice. It hurt omega, but he tried not to let it show; Jaehyun has his reasons to be cautious after everything what happened with Chenle (when he was told this story Taeyong almost wanted to laugh from how ridiculous and ‘out from the movies’ it sounded. But it was real and omega’s heart was broken for his mate).

‘You can’t get rid of it,’ Jaehyun says quietly, gaze intense. ‘Taeyong, this is for life. This mark is for forever.’

Taeyong lifts his head, meeting Jaehyun’s gaze straight on. ‘And again - it’s you who’s holding back.’

Taeyong is sure in Jaehyun, but the notion that alpha may not be sure in him makes tears prickle in his eyes. He has been rejected before but this is different; this doesn’t just sting or make him sad. This rejection from Jaehyun will destroy Taeyong inside. He tries to not let it show, to act brave, but when alpha doesn’t reply all his insecurities overflow:

‘But if you’re not sure, if you don’t want me-’ He tries to move away, but Jaehyun grabs his shoulders and only pushes him harder into the wall, towering over him.

 _‘Don’t want you?’_ He repeats, incredulous. ‘Taeyong, you- I..’ Jaehyun is loss of words and Taeyong could have joked that there is the first time for everything, but his mouth refuses to make any sound, when alpha looks at him like that. ‘How can you even think that I don’t want you?!’

‘What else do you want me to think?’ Taeyong snaps, trying to push alpha away but his mate stands like an unmoving rock. ‘I basically asked you to claim me month ago and you refused. What else is there to think if not that you don’t want me? That you’re not sure in me?’

Taeyong can’t help it - he lets bitterness overtake him. His pride is hurt but his heart is hurt worse and instead of sounding angry, he just sounds dejected and sad. Which is awful. Last thing he wants to do is to show how affected he is by all of this, but it’s hard to keep his emotions in check when it comes to Jaehyun. Alpha stares at him with wide eyes and then cradles his face so gently in his palms that Taeyong wants to cry. He can’t stand tenderness when he knows it’s going to lead to rejection - better do it harshly than first make his heart leap out of his chest with love.

‘Sweetheart,’ Jaehyun calls and this affectionate nickname sends a pang into omega’s heart. ‘Baby, Taeyong, look at me. Look me in the eyes.’ Taeyong braces himself and does as he was told. ‘I didn’t want you to rush. I didn’t think that you would- I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I made you think like you’re unwanted.’ Jaehyun gingerly leans in and places his lips on Taeyong’s forehead, slowly going down. ‘You’re all I want, Taeyong.’

Omega’s eyes flutter shut and he takes a deep breath, when Jaehyun’s lips stop at his cheek. He doesn’t want to sound hopeful but his voice cracks anyway: ‘Really?’

It comes out so childlike, so hopeful that Jaehyun’s heart bleeds with love for this omega. He presses his lips everywhere he can on Taeyong’s face and then goes lower, stopping at his neck. ‘You’re a dream come true, Taeyong.’ He says, hearing omega’s breath hitch at this. Jaehyun kisses column of his neck and stops at the juncture where neck meets the shoulder. Where Taeyong’s scent glands are, where bite mark is supposed to be. ‘You’re meant for me, to be mine. My perfect omega.’

Taeyong mewls at that and shudders when Jaehyun licks at his skin, gently biting it. All negative thoughts evaporate from his brain because he feels that sincerity, hears it in Jaehyun’s scent; he knows that alpha means what he says. ‘Alpha,’ he calls, arching his back and plastering himself on Jaehyun’s chest. ‘Yours.’

Jaehyun hums satisfyingly. ‘Mine.’ He then looks up and makes Taeyong meet his gaze. ‘Maybe I’m not good with words, but don’t ever think that I don’t want you. I’m sure in you like I’ve never been in anyone else.’

Taeyong pouts. ‘Then why did you not claim me then? Cause I want it. I’m sure and I want it.’

Alpha close this eyes at this and inhales, low growl rumbling in his chest as Taeyong presses kisses on his neck. ‘It’s for life, Taeyong. I’m older and I- I’m sure. I am sure in my forever with you. But are you?’

Taeyong huffs impatiently. ‘You’re older for few years, please. And I am sure, I said that many times. How many more incidents like the one tonight with Heechul need to happen for you to understand that your claim would-’

Jaehyun crushes their lips together. It’s burning, lights answering fire in Taeyong immediately. He willingly opens up, kisses back with as much vigor as he has, instantly giving all control to Jaehyun. Alpha taps back of his thighs two times, little sign before he steps back a little and Taeyong hops on him, smiling as Jaehyun securely holds him up in his arms. Omega can already feel his head going hazy and he whines, when Jaehyun pulls back and throws him on the bed. Taeyong jumps back on the mattress, laughs and crawls higher. Jaehyun’s eyes stay on him as alpha slowly takes off his jacket. Watching Jaehyun undress has always been hypnotizing for Taeyong - something in the slow way more and more skin gets revealed that excites him. His mate doesn’t even try to be sexy, just pulls it off but it still looks so enchanting that Taeyong can’t look away. Jaehyun notices his gaze, of course. He smirks at that and pushes his pants down, motioning for Taeyong to come closer. Omega shakes his head at that, smiling mischievously.

‘No?’ Jaehyun asks and Taeyong nods. ‘So this is how it’s going to be tonight? Alright.’

Taeyong thinks Jaehyun will crawl up to him, but instead alpha grabs his ankles and roughly pulls omega down. Taeyong yelps and immediately groans, when Jaehyun bends his knees and pushes them down, leaning closer to him. Alpha doesn’t hurry, slowly freeing omega from the clothes too until they’re both just in their underwear.

‘Is this the only reason why you want my claim?’ Jaehyun asks, tightening his grip on Taeyong’s ankles. ‘Just so other alphas won’t bother you? They can’t help themselves, I guess. After all you _are_ the prettiest thing I’ve ever laid my eyes on.’

Taeyong swallows. He knows very well what game Jaehyun is playing and it’s dangerous - he needs to calculate all his words. ‘No,’ he answers, clearing his throat. ‘It’s not like that.’

‘I’m sure it isn’t,’ Jaehyun nods, moving his grip from ankles to Taeyong’s knees. ‘You like the attention, don’t you? And my claim will only stay in the way of getting it.’

Taeyong bite his lower lip. He _does_ like the attention. He likes catching someone looking at him and then hastily looking away, likes watching someone rake their eyes up and down his body before scrambling to break eye contact once Taeyong catches them. But that’s it. He just likes knowing that he does attract attention, but he never wants it to go further - once someone actually gathers the courage to come to him Taeyong wants to flee as quickly as possible. Stares are harmless, but he doesn’t want anything more than that, no contact, no touches, nothing else. Taeyong doesn’t want anyone touching him in a remotely sexual way apart from Jaehyun - just the thought of someone else laying their hands on him makes him want to puke.

‘I like them watching,’ he admits quietly and shivers, when Jaehyun’s hands move to his thighs. ‘I… like the stares - _fuck_ -’ Jaehyun slaps his inner thigh and Taeyong curses. ‘-but they can’t touch. They can just look-’

‘That’s right,’ Jaehyun interrupts, caressing place that he slapped. ‘They can just look. Only I can touch.’

‘Yeah,’ Taeyong breathes out, breathing shallowly as alpha’s hands massage his thighs coming too close to his crotch. ‘I- I want your claim so they can see- so everyone can see that _all_ they can do is look. Because I’m taken. They can’t touch me because I’m yours.’

Jaehyun’s eyes darken and his scent grows so strong that Taeyong bares his neck on instinct, submitting. He can hear nothing but loud thrumming of his pulse in his ears and when Jaehyun finally takes of his underwear he almost shouts when hand is wrapped around his dick. Taeyong licks his lips and looks at alpha, whose hard-on presses on his thigh.

‘Wanna show off,’ he whispers, blushing as he admits this. Jaehyun’s hand stops and he arches his eyebrow, prompting omega to continue. ‘Show off that..that I’m yours. Everyone will see that _you_ are my alpha and- ahhh.’

Jaehyun kneels beside the bed and wraps his mouth around Taeyong’s member. He swirls his tongue around the tip and pulls out. ‘And?’

This is cruel - to make Taeyong continue talking when all coherent thoughts vanished from his head. Jaehyun won’t continue if he doesn’t talk and omega whines, trying to get his mind together. ‘And I will feel secure.’ Jaehyun again goes down, this time taking more and Taeyong’s eyes close at the pleasure. ‘My god. Se-secure because I will know that you and me are- _fuck yes_ \- you and me are…for life. Forever.’

It’s obvious that Jaehyun usually is on the receiving end of blowjobs, but he does bob his head enthusiastically, makes Taeyong keen and his breath come out in short pants. Omega fists bedsheets and pulls, when Jaehyun hollows his cheeks, making these obscene noises that can drive anyone sane wild. He pulls out and wipes his mouth before crawling on top of his mate, making Taeyong look at him. There’s lust but also so much of affection and tenderness in his gaze that Taeyong wants to cry.

‘We are,’ he says, brushing their noses together. ‘You and me - we are for life. I’m not wasting this chance with you, _we are for life._ ’

Taeyong’s smiles is watery, he feels tears well up in the corner of his eyes; his heart is ready to burst with all of the feelings. Jaehyun’s acceptance of him, his words - Taeyong blames his emotional side but he really is going to start crying in the middle of a blowjob. Jaehyun smiles back, chuckling and leaning down to kiss his eyes, collecting his tears.

‘I will claim you,’ Jaehyun says and Taeyong freezes. ‘Tonight. Will sink my teeth right here-’ he traces place of his scent glands, ‘-and will leave my claim.’ Taeyong nods, brain turning into mush. ‘Words, Taeyong.’

‘Y-yes.’ Taeyong cracks out, hands flying to get a hold on Jaehyun’s biceps. ‘Yes, Jaehyun, I want it, want you-’

It’s always different when Taeyong is not in a subspace. Everything is much more vivid, every sensation overwhelms him. He clings to alpha, while his body gets worshipped with kisses, touches and reverent whispered ‘so perfect, Taeyongie, my perfect omega’. It makes him delirious, he trashes against sheets as Jaehyun takes him into his mouth again, fingers slowly pressing in. Taeyong whines, asks alpha to hurry up and he makes grabby hands, needing to see Jaehyun’s face, to kiss him and ground himself. Jaehyun does everything he wants, already so familiar with his body that every his touch send Taeyong further into a bliss. They kiss, pant into each other’s mouth and Taeyong melts when Jaehyun confesses his love again and again.

‘Love you too,’ Taeyong mumbles, trying to keep his eyes open. ‘Love you too, Jae, so much.’

Jaehyun enters him in a one stroke, pressing to the hilt, relishing in a way Taeyong arches off the bed, moaning. He saw this so many times but still can’t get enough, still is unable to look away from the way Taeyong’s face shows his pleasure, how he vocally lets Jaehyun know that he’s feeling good. Jaehyung doesn’t think he’ll ever get enough, doesn’t even think that there is a world where Taeyong doesn’t own his heart and his everything - it’s impossible. Omega’s cries spur him on, his hips snap quicker and he leans fully, attaching his lips to Taeyong’s neck. He knows that Taeyong wants it and it makes his chest tighten from all the feelings towards his mate.

‘Jaehyunnie,’ Taeyong calls, fingers carding his hair. ‘Please.’

He turns his head to the side, baring his neck to alpha. It’s an incredible sight, one that no one can refuse and Jaehyun has always been weak for Taeyong, so he doesn’t even try to put up a fight. He noses his collarbones and goes a bit higher, his movements turning erratic as he just fucks into omega with no hold backs.

‘Taeyong,’ Jaehyun whispers into the skin, licking it. _God this is everything._ ‘Taeyong, baby…’

‘Love you,’ Taeyong half-whispers half-moans, wrapping arms around Jaehyun’s shoulders. ‘Do it, please, Jae.’

Taeyong doesn’t get a warning. Jaehyun just places a little kiss and then his teeth are sinking throughly into the skin and Taeyong shouts. Pain makes him shoot up, but Jaehyun’s weight holds him down and everything turns black for few seconds. Taeyong can register heavy breathing above him, Jaehyun’s teeth at his neck and a hand stroking his dick to turn attention away from the pain, but all Taeyong can feel is a rush. Something swims in his veins, wrecks his whole body and it’s over as quickly as it started, Jaehyun’s tongue lapping at the bite in attempt so soothe it. He stops his thrusts and cradles Taeyong’s head, peppering his face with little kisses. Omega registers few questions but it’s hard to answer verbally, so he just nods, closing his eyes.

‘Taeyong, look at me,’ Jaehyun pleads and with a huge effort Taeyong opens his eyes, blinking heavily. ‘Baby, you good?’

Taeyong nods, doesn’t know how to explain what he feels. He’s almost sleepy, but more like he’s high and it’s making his whole body light. He lifts his leg and digs his heel into Jaehyun’s back as a sign for alpha to continue. He’s not completely in touch and doesn’t fully feel the thrusts, but he knows it’s not going to last long and soon he’ll be back in reality. Jaehyun looks concerned and slowly starts thrusting, eyes never leaving his face. It lasts no longer than few minutes and then senses come back to Taeyong, who instantly moans at pointed thrusts at his prostate.

‘Back with me?’ Jaehyun asks, worried eyes scanning Taeyong’s face.

‘Yeah-yeah,’ Taeyong moans loudly, clutching at Jaehyun’s biceps.

They don’t last for long; soon Jaehyun is grunting above him and Taeyong groans, hiding his face in alpha’s neck. He breathes in scent that became so dear to him and clings to Jaehyun, berating heavily. He feels lips at his temple, feels them move to his forehead and then to his nose. Jaehyun quietly asks if he’s okay and Taeyong honestly doesn’t know. It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly he’s feeling and his lack of answer makes alpha anxious.

‘Taeyong, if you don’t feel okay we should go to the hospital,’ he says, looking into omega’s face. ‘Baby?’

Taeyong swallows, cringing at how dry his throat is. ‘Give me water for starters.’

Jaehyun shoots up from the bed at that. Taeyong rolls to the side, climbs higher and wraps a blanket around him when alpha comes back with a bottle. Once his throat is not desert, Taeyong speaks up, trying to ease alpha’s nerves: ‘I’m fine, don’t worry. Just..a little lightheaded.’

Jaehyun doesn’t look very convinced. ‘Should I call Dr.Choi?’

Taeyong shakes his head and sighs, falling back into the pillows. ‘No. Come cuddle me and everything will pass.’

Jaehyun changes his underwear, texts someone (Taeyong is more than hundred percent sure that it’s Dr.Choi) and only then joins his mate not the bed. They quickly find comfortable position and Taeyong smiles in satisfaction, closing his eyes. Mark stings and it’s a bit painful to move shoulder from that side, but he’ll live. He can’t believe that this has happened and only Jaehyun’s strong arms around his shoulders remind him that this is very real.

‘Sleep.’ Jaehyun says, planting kiss on his head.

‘You sleep too,’ Taeyong mumbles, yawning. He covers his mouth and then cuddles closer to alpha. ‘Love you.’

‘I love you too,’ Jaehyun smiles, patting his back. ‘Now sleep.’

Taeyong yawns again, rubs his cheek on Jaehyun’s chest and falls asleep, lulled by soft breathing and familiar scent around him and with a clear understanding that he will have this - for life.

**August, 15**

Yukhei pays for his coffee and walks out, instantly spotting Sicheng. His boyfriend was staring at the screen, checking if any information about his gate appeared or not. Dressed in simple white tee and light blue jeans, he still managed to stand out from the crowd, attracting many gazes from passing people. It baffled Yukhei how Sicheng had no idea of the effect he had on people, how his boyfriend was absolutely oblivious to any of it. Feeling his gaze, Sicheng turns around, smiling at alpha. Yukhei smiles back and he tries to make it as sincere as possible in current circumstances. Last time they were here, Yukhei was bursting with happiness, excited to finally see his boyfriend after holidays. This time though feelings are on a completely opposite spectrum. Staring at Sicheng right now brings more pain than anything else; he feels like his heart’s going to be torn apart, no matter how dramatic it sounds.

‘A good one?’ Sicheng asks, pointing at coffee in alpha’s hand.

‘Yours is better,’ Yukhei answers, making beta smile. ‘No information yet?’

‘In the next hour only,’ Sicheng says and sighs. ‘Should we go to the first floor? Everyone’s probably there.’

Everyone meant Hendery, Xiaojun, Taeyong, Jaehyun. Yukhei was rather selfish in this aspect and wanted to spend last minutes before departure alone, but he couldn’t possibly let it happen. They went down and just like they thought, everyone was waiting next to little cafe. Xiaojun was the first to spot them and started waving frantically, bringing everyone’s attention to them.

‘Winwinnie!’

Sicheng smiles, hugging his omega friend back. Xiaojun has tears in his eyes when they pull apart and it tugs at beta’s heartstrings. He carefully wipes away these tears, smiling at his friend in effort to cheer him up. Hendery comes behind him, wrapping arms around him and affectionally nuzzling into his neck.

‘We gonna miss you so much,’ he whispers and Xiaojun nods in agreement, sniffling a bit.

‘Me too guys,’ Sicheng replies and his throat burns with effort to keep his voice from shaking. ‘You have no idea how much.’

It saddens him to no end. Sicheng obviously knew that bidding goodbyes would be painful, but he couldn’t imagine that he would want to cry like some lost five year old in a supermarket. He already feel this stupid longing and he didn’t even depart yet; hole in his chest grows more and more with each passing minute. He knows everyone’s watching and he tries to be strong, but it’s hard to not let tears out. Hendery senses his upcoming outbreak first and tightens his arms around him as Xiaojun follows suit, hugging from front. Being sandwiched by his two best friends makes Sicheng laugh, he hugs Xiaojun back and tries to discreetly wipe his tears on omega’s shoulder. God, he’s going to miss them.

‘We love you so much, Winwinnie,’ Xiaojun whispers so quietly that only Sicheng and Hendery can hear it.

‘Our precious boy,’ Hendery adds and it sends tingles down beta’s spine, images of when this was said to him last time come to his mind and he blushes, hiding his face in Xiaojun’s neck.

He feels Hendery’s lips on the side of his neck but doesn’t react on it, knowing that their affection often was shown like that. Xiaojun crushes him in a hug, but it’s the best feeling because Sicheng doesn’t know when next he’s going to feel it. They stay in this hug for what seems like forever until Xiaojun doesn’t step back, eyes red from unshed tears. Hendery also lets him go and Sicheng wobbles a bit on his feet, letting Taeyong catch him. His now ex-roommate and best friend looks sad, pouting and looking at Sicheng with puppy eyes.

‘If you forget about our weekly calls I’m gonna fly to China and kick your ass,’ Taeyong mutters, trying hard not to cry. ‘Do you hear me? I’m really gonna do it.’

Sicheng chuckles, hugging older. Taeyong grips him tight and Sicheng grips back, knowing this feeling of wanting to savor last moments. ‘I will always call, Yongie.’

‘You better!’ Taeyong lightly hits his back. ‘Or I will come after you. Don’t doubt me.’

He spent yesterday fully with Taeyong, listening to advices from the elder and giving his promises to never forget about their calls and everything. Taeyong cried his lot yesterday but right now he also looked like tears will stream from his eyes any second. Sicheng did not want this moment to be sad but guess it can’t be helped - when someone leaves it always is very sentimental.

‘You’re my number one, Sichengie. Always.' Taeyong whispers into his ear.

Sicheng bites his lip. His throat constricts with effort to speak but he can’t do it. Instead he nods and lightly pecks Taeyong's cheek. He lets go and Taeyong steps back, going to Hendery and Xiaojun who instantly hug him tight. Jaehyun steps closer next, clearing his throat. They didn’t manage to become very close, but they didn’t really need to - Sicheng thinks they understand each other and have mutual support without spending that much time together. They are past awkward stage of friendship, but not exactly on the level were physical contact comes easy - when Jaehyun opens his arms for a hug Sicheng’s eyebrows shoot up on their own accord.

‘Is it too awkward?’ Jung quickly asks, biting his lip. ‘I mean, we don’t have to-’

‘No-no, I was just surprised!’ Sicheng quickly comes closer. ‘Sorry.’

They hover around each other until Jaehyun just comes closer and hugs him, patting his back in a way that probably is meant to be reassuring. ‘Good luck. I hope everything will be great there.’ He then looks around, coughing a little as he says: ‘And, you know, if anything happens - we have our office there, you can just call me or Yukhei and we’ll push staff there to help you out, you know, with anything.’

Sicheng blinks, barely keeping his mouth shut at this. He didn’t expect anything of this sort and now his heart squeezes tightly in his chest at an obvious show of how much they care. He nods, gripping Jaehyun’s hand and he knows that alpha understood his feelings by a gentle smile. Taeyong comes to his side, Jaehyun pulls him close and they stare at him, wearing identical fond expressions. They still have time, but Sicheng thinks if they’re going to stay any more then he’ll definitely end up crying, so his friends shuffle to the exit, hugging him tight one last time. Hendery and Xiaojun promise to save up and visit him, Taeyong again reminds to call frequently and Jaehyun says a very touching: ‘We’re not very close, but please, if you really do need anything there, I want you to know that apart from Yukhei and these three, you can always call me too.’ Taeyong again jumps on Sicheng, kisses his cheeks and says that two years will pass quickly. Xiaojun is next, openly crying, gripping Sicheng so tight that he just can’t speak. While Sicheng is occupied with Xiaojun, Taeyong comes close to Hendery, watching them with fond smile.

‘I’m surprised you two also didn’t find master programs in Beijing,’ he says quietly. ‘I heard Xiaojun was trying to find a program in the same university where Sicheng goes, but he then said there weren’t any programs for you two.’

‘There were,’ Hendery replies and Taeyong’s head snaps to his side, shocked. ‘I just lied and said that we couldn’t apply because we don’t pass qualifications. Junnie trusts me, he didn’t really look at the website and admissions.’

‘What- _Why?_ ’ Taeyong asks, trying to keep his voice quiet. _I thought you two love Sicheng,_ is on his tongue but he doesn’t say it out loud. ‘Why, Hendery?’

Hendery stares at the way Sicheng holds Xiaojun’s hand, how he wipes his tears so softly and gently that no doubt Xiaojun’s heart is breaking. But he also sees Yukhei, who’s standing a bit further from them, trying his hardest to make it look like he doesn’t mind what’s happening.

‘Why?’ He repeats and turns to Taeyong, meeting his gaze. ‘Because we need to let him go.’

He needs to let Sicheng go, Xiaojun needs to let Sicheng go. They need to close this chapter, to realize that their feelings won’t be returned. It’d be impossible to do if they also went to Beijing. They need to not have Sicheng around, to come in terms that their love for him is unrequited. Only way to do it was to lie to Junnie about admissions. Hendery does feel guilty, but once he thinks about Sicheng learning about their feelings for him, he thinks that this lie is not that bad. Sicheng will be destroyed if he learns the truth and Hendery better first die than let it happen. Taeyong’s hand on his shoulder startles him from his thoughts and he looks up, blinking. Taeyong has this small smile on his face, the one that says he knows exactly what Hendery’s thinking. It doesn’t hold pity in it, just a joined understanding.

‘You two will be alright,’ he says and it sounds more like a promise.

Hendery looks over to where Xiaojun finally released Sicheng from his arms. Junnie turns to him with watery smile and Hendery doesn’t think twice before opening his arms and letting his boyfriend fall into them. Xiaojun nuzzles into his neck and sighs, gripping him tight.

‘He really is leaving,’ he mutters.

‘I know Junnie,’ Hendery kisses his head and then repeats Taeyong’s words: ‘We will be alright.’

Xiaojun looks up and asks very quietly: ‘Should we…say? Tell the truth?’

Hendery turns and sees Sicheng in Yukhei’s arms. Sees how alpha holds him tight, how his eyes never leave Sicheng’s face. Sees love in these eyes. And no doubt Sicheng’s eyes reflect the same. ’No,’ he answers to Xiaojun, turning his attention back at him. ‘We shouldn’t.’

Omega looks dejected, but quietly accepts it. His heart is heavy with longing, with desire to not let Sicheng go, but if Hendery says that they’re going to be alright then he’ll believe him. Jaehyun says he’ll drive everyone home and with one last wave everyone goes away, leaving Yukhei and Sicheng alone.

‘Let’s go up?’ Yukhei suggests, taking beta’s hand in his. Sicheng nods and they quietly go back to the second floor. Sicheng doesn’t know what to say to fill the silence - for the first time he feels really awkward with alpha. It a weird feeling in his chest, one he can’t put into words, that nags him inside. He almost wants to turn away and run but he’s past these times when running looked to be a good option. Yukhei also says nothing, which is very unlike him - alpha always fills the space easily, confidently, but right now it’s like his light was subdued. It’s not a good look on him and Sicheng clears his throat, determined to make Yukhei smile.

‘You’re not going to also cry, right?’ He asks jokingly, lightly punching alpha in the shoulder.

‘I might,’ Yukhei answers seriously but then turns, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend. ‘I… I don’t know what to say, Sicheng.’

Sicheng bites his lip, nodding. He understands. ‘Me too.’ He admits.

‘Can I be honest?’ Alpha asks and when Sicheng nods, he says: ‘I don’t want you to go.’

Yukhei watches as milliard of emotions pass beta’s face at his confession. Sicheng doesn’t say anything at first, just stares at alpha with something akin to wonder. In honesty this confession moved beta to the core. He always has been who was afraid to lose Yukhei, his interest in him, then show as insecure. But to know now that alpha also treasured him to this point made his heart do a double flip in his chest. Sicheng doubted this decision many times; while he was giving his project to his professor and then to Minghao, while he was buying tickets and talking with his grandparents - he was doubting if he was making a right decision. Laying in Yukhei’s arms at nights, going out with his friends, on a dinner table with his parents - he was doubting if master degree was really worth giving all of this up. But then invitation from university came and doubts evaporated. With an acceptance letter in his hands Sicheng knew that at least he should try. This may not work out in the end, no one knows what’s going to happen, maybe Beijing will turn out to be a living hell for him, but the least he can do is try.

‘I have to,’ Sicheng whispers, looking at Yukhei. ‘For me.’

Alpha nods. ‘I know.’ He leans in, bringing their foreheads together. ‘It’s gonna be alright.’

Sicheng’s fingers clutch on alpha’s shirt, fisting it desperately. Tears well up in his eyes and he grits his teeth, not wanting to starts crying. ‘And us?’ He asks in a shaky voice. ‘Will we be alright?’

Yukhei leans back and his hands come up to settle on Sicheng’s cheeks, caressing them softly. ‘Beijing is two hours away. I work only five days a week. If anything, I can visit you every single week on Saturday and Sunday.’

Sicheng sniffs and Yukhei leans in, pecks his lips. Alpha doesn’t want to lie and promise stuff like ‘we will stay together no matter what’ or ‘these two years won’t change anything’. That’s not true. These two years will change everything and main change will happen with his boyfriend - Sicheng will change a lot. Living in a foreign country, going somewhere alone always changes a person, shapes them into something different. Yukhei doesn’t know what will happen, but all he knows is that right now, at this moment, his heart belongs to this boy. Will it stay like that? He doesn’t know, no one knows. But all they have is present and that’s all that counts.

‘I can only promise one thing - that I’m going to try and make this long distance relationship work,’ alpha says and Sicheng tenses in his arms before nodding. ‘That I’m not going to give up just now. That I will be honest with you.’

‘That’s enough,’ beta answers and few tears fall down right on Yukhei’s fingers on his cheeks. ‘I can’t ask for more.’

Yukhei smiles and Sicheng pouts, adorably asking for a kiss. who is Yukhei to say no to this? He leans and kisses Sicheng tenderly, pulling him as close as it’s only possible. He pours all of his feelings into this kiss, still can’t believe that he won’t be able to do so for quiet some time. He doesn’t say _I love you_ because there’s no need in saying this when Sicheng flies away. There’ll be better time and place to say these three words, Yukhei is sure.

‘I better go,’ Sicheng says, pulling back slightly.

Yukhei can’t follow him anymore. Alpha nods, kisses him one last time and to his horror, realizes that he’s about to shed some tears. Sicheng turns and slowly goes to the passport control, standing in the queue. He turns, waves and Yukhei waves back, pulling hands in the pockets then. This could be a scene form the movie, where one of the main characters realizes their mistake and turns around, runs back into the waiting arms of another character. But this is not a movie and Sicheng doesn’t run back to Yukhei. He patiently waits in the line and turns back only when he’s next. Yukhei’s throat tightens at the mix of emotions he’s feeling. He’s staring at his boyfriend and suddenly really wishes he told him these three words before. Sicheng types something on his phone and alpha’s phone buzzes with a message.

_‘I like you. Present tense.’_

Yukhei chuckles and lets few tears escape from the corner of his eyes. He chews on his bottom lip and when he looks up, Sicheng is already gone, passed passport control. Yukhei wants to write his confession, but then understands that these words need to be said out loud. So instead he types out another message and then goes back to his car, wiping tears from his eyes.

Sicheng goes to his gate when his phone beeps with an answering message from alpha that makes his heart gallop in his chest.

_‘I like you too, pretty. Way more than you can even imagine. Present tense.’_

And no one knows what future holds, but for now - this is enough. Sicheng hides his phone in a pocket and walks towards the gates. After all - present is all we have and if in this present Yukhei is his boyfriend then that’s all that matters. All Sicheng can do is hope that in the future it will stay the same. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and this giant baby is over. i can't believe that we made it, phew. i hope you liked the ending, hope you understand sicheng's decision, hope this story was enjoyable for all of you. when i receive messages like 'your characters seem to be so real' and 'after this chapter i realized this/that' i honestly felt like crying every single time. thank you to every single person who left kudos or comment, special thanks to these people who left comments after every single chapter - you truly are mvps, this story continued thanks to you, guys!💜 
> 
> hope it's not too much to think/hope that this story did make you think over some things (relationships wise, toxic environment and etc). a lot of themes were raised here and at least one of them should have touched your heart. let me know what was your favorite part, what you liked the most about this story in the comments! 
> 
> i, obviously, am going to write more. if you liked this story and will like to read more from me - just subscribe to me as for an author and you'll receive notifications once the new story comes out. currently i have kun/ten story in my drafts, hopefully it will see the light very soon. (yes, i am going to continue to spread love for wayv, you can't stop me)
> 
> over 800+ kudos, guys! this is unreal. thank you for this warm reception of this story.💜 im sending every single one of you tightest hugs and kisses on the nose. as always, stay healthy, happy and safe. 
> 
> love you all💜 nizza


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